Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-25

Itft3I4i manager Of the Boyd thcater in
-Aas&S Omaha. and asked 20 be given
''uue in the house" Haynes listened to
what the manager had to say. and did not
like the prospect sufficiently well to ven
ture. the Boyd theater was empty. but its
management was unwilling to risk any
thing on the probability OF the visiting
manager making good 80 he was told he
could rent the theater outright. but at a
price and under conditions that seemed
beyond his reach. The visiting manager
was an optimistic sort Of chap: he had a
company, with scenery ard baggage in
Council Bluffs. but didn't have money
enough to get across the bridge. he had a
chance 90 get a theater in Omaha. but
how 90 bring company and theater together
was a problem. A little hustling brought
him in touch with some people who could
and did assist him. the company was res
cued from Council Bluff, and opened a
weeks stay in the Boyd theater, and
aOmaha got its first taste OF popular priced
stock" company production, under the
direction Of Mr.. O d. woodward
And the experiment was success so
much so In fact that when the company
swung back 20 Omaha a few weeks later
II had no trouble In getting into the
Boyd theater on shares. The people liked
the company, they liked its plays and they
liked It's managers methods. So the Wood
ward Stock company kept coming back and
back to Omaha for several months, when
a turn Of the managerial wheel made It
possible to locate the organizations per-
manenty a. the Creighton theater. and
there began the real career OF o. d. Wood
ward as a producer. Messrs Paxton and
Burgess were the managing firm Of the
Creighton and they also took over the
Boyd, which had had variegated career
unCer the control Of Boyd & Hsines and
Tom Mulvihin. Then the new producer
was taken in and the finn became the
Woodward 6 Burgess Amusement CO.
william a Paxton, jr.. held his interest
in the business for a while, but sold out
60 Messrs. Woodward and Burgess who
extended their interests to include Denver
Kansas city, Sioux City, St. Joseph Man
kGto. Sioux Falls. Nebraska City and a
few other places. But while the man
agerial business was being expanded the
stock company was not lost sight OF.
While at the Creighton theatsr in Omaha
Is prospered and came 90 be a rec
ognized institution. Denver was in
yaded by the organization. but fire
destroyed the theater In which the COM
pcny was housed and at Kansas City q
Aimilar disaster overlook the firm. In the
fall OF 1893 the Orpheum vaudeville people
came 10 Omaha and secured a lease on the
Creighton theater. putting the Woodward
Stock company literally out Of house and
home here. But the Auditorium theater
AZ Kansas City was available and there
It was installed and grew with the years.
A year without q stock company saw
Omaha ready in the summer of 1900 for a
renewal Of the business, but It was not
the Woodward Stock that played summer
engagements at the Boyd. This was left
nrst to Sam Bear and then to Dick Ferris, |
but In the end Woodward & Burgess built !
the Burwood theater, that the Woodward
Stock might again have q home in Omaha.
Two very successful seasons we're played |
there and then ere theatsr passed into
other hands, Back 10 summer seasons at
the Boyd. until the opening OF the Brandss
last spring cleared the way for the in
stalling Of Eva Lang and her company at
the beautiful theater that has 30 long been
\ one OF Omaha's chief pleasure spots.
NAhd here Is o. y. Woodward, working
3est as hard as no did when he first
came to Omaha, striving Just as earnestly
90 put before the people wholesome plays
appropriately presented. This little sketch
OF his career merely gives the outlines of
his rise In the theater AS a member Of
the Woodward q Burgess Amusement
company. which has now become the Bur
CESS Woodward company, having been
reorganiEed about two years ago. with the
direction OF the principal theaters In Omaha
and Kansas City. and other important
interests, he has become a considerable
factor in the world OF amusement He Il
as well known on Broadway as any rest
dent manager OF New York. and his name
Is familiar from one end Of the land 20
the other. Many actors of national fame
have gone out from his stock company,
Well equipped because OF his training, and
many others not 50 well known. look back
with contented pleasure to the days when
they drew pay checks signed by o. d.
Woodward. For his heart has always
been In the producing game" and even
today he leaves the management OF the
big theaters he is interested in to the d.
rection Of his partners. while he devotes
his time to the stock company and its
productions In following his bent he has
produced perhaps as many plays under
his own personal direction as any man
IN America. He was asked once how many
plays he had actually put on. but said
he couldn't guess within fifty az least
During the fifteen years since he first
came to Omaha he has presented not less
than 900 plays At one time he was
directing the progress OF two companies.
one In Kansas City and one In Omaha,
each presenting different play each
week, task that would stagger even an
expert stage director. yet O. ID. Woodward
carried II on for two seasons. Several OF
the productions We're OF new plays that
had never been put on the stage before
he mounted them None OF them were
light
What has this involved In the matter
OF cost the figures run into a total that
Is considerable. II the average cost OF the
600 plays o. D. Woodward has produced In
the last fifteen years has been but $50 for
mounting, which is very low, for many Of
them have run above Nee. ne has invested
pSA0o0 In scenery and costumes alone The
average royalty paid viii run to about the
same figure, making a total OF $4,000 tor
royalties apd scenic equipment. His com
panies 20 produce these plays have cost
him quite as much more, showing a total
OF almost three-quarters OF a million dol
lars. y which should be added the expense
faH a EaHaa