El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-10-24
THEATRICAL SEASON OPENS
UNDER AUSPICIOUS CONDITIONS
By
Frederic
]. Hashr
MANY SUCCESSES LAST YEAR

IS lines During these periods of re-
hearSal neither the stars nor the sup
porting players receive any salary.
Only the stage manager and the musi-
clans receive money for the preparato-
ry laborS. and, of course, the stage
hands. AS a rule the rehearsals are
conducted in halls and over stores, and
there are no stage hands to be paid
until the final days of work in the the
alter. Until short time ago a pro-
Queer could engage men and women
for his musical show and have them
rehearse up to the very day of the first
performance, and then dismiss them
with the explanation that they were
not suited for the parts. Recently,
however, this condition of affairs has
been improved for the actors. Now a
producer or his stage manager must
decide after four rehearsals whether he
considers man or a woman desirable.
After the fourth rehearsal the star OF
the company or the most humble
"broiler" chorus girl has the legal right
to expect to take part in the first per-
Torrance. If the producer discovers
too late that a member Of the cast is
not suited to the part, he can discharge
that member, but only by paying the
unsatisfactory one two weeks salary.
Protecting the Actor.
In still another way has the law re-
Gently taken steps to protect the MEM
bers of a theatrical company. y few
years ago the great club held over the
heads Of the chorus girls was the
fine. Five minutes Iate at a rehea rS1l
might mean anything from one TO ten
dollars fine, while a hole in one 3
stocking at a public performance, n rip
in a skirt or a gjggle while on the
stage might mean 4 tive dol1:sr redCc-
ton from the eighteen or twenty-five
dollar weekly stipend. These measures
were taken at he ciscreti0n of the
stage manager. To-Day the courts have
held that manager may fine the
members of lis company. but the Mon
ey is not lost penn Irersly ID tie Of
fender. 1t must e Kept IL tie COM
pany'S safe ard at the 81 I o. The sea-
son.. or when he f; al member il aves
the organization, a demand IpCn the
treasurer for 4 retIr1 If ali E.oIies
withheld must be comrlieJ With. thus
the fine toda, is.p<-. more than a
savings acccuns for the p 4 Ie-s-
IT, play virgins rJt,ay IL trains
does not bring lin Sd large mere
tary share in the success OF the play
as the producer recei<es, o.lI lis l1cf-
it does not entail the same am ,lnt Of
worry and the harrassing details OF
managing a company of highly excita-
bic and high strung people A young
playwright without a reputation re-
cefves anywhere from three to six per-
cent of the weekly gross receipts OF
the box office as a. royalty, while
dramatists, who are in a position tc
dictate terms with the producers, often
receive as high as 10 percent OF the
proceeds. The sliding scale for royal
ties is becoming UNIVERSAL small
percentage on the first few thousand
dollars per week. a larger percentage
for greater drawing power and final
~ prineely royalty if the play makes
$4,000 or S15, 900 a week.
These profits are the lure which
floods every managers office with
hundreds of thousands of worthless
manuscripts each season. And every
one Of these producing magnates en-
pIoys corps Of competent play-read-
ers to winnow the tons of chaff in
sarch of the annual crop of not more
than so grains of dramatic wheat