Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-11
PROBLEM OF THE
STOCK COMPANY

"The problem of the stock COM
pany:" that was what Joseph BROOKS
called it in the course of a talk at the
Alexandria hotel the other evening,
and he was candid enough to admit
that the problem, as it exists in Los
Angeles, has become important enough
to command attention not only locally
but in the east, whence come the ira
yelling attractions, good, bad ana IN
different.
MIR. Brooks is a commanding figure
in American theatricals. He is one
of the pillars of the syndicate, which
hasn't tottered yet, in despite of num-
erous dead marches played Justify by
the strenuous and numerous band of
the independents Therefore Mr..
Brooks opinion is worth noting ana
when he says that the popularity of
stock companies i'll Los Angeles men
aces the business" of road shows ii
is high time for us to examine into
the matter, to discover, if we can,
why the menace is so much graVer
here than in other cities and whether
or not it really is a menace at all,
speaking of course from the stand
point of the theatergoer instead of
the theater manager
1t is true that the stock company
. in Los Angeles is a much more inn
portant factor in the theatrical field
than are stock companies in other
cities We have here two we'll man
aged and competent dramatic stocks,
which occupy their own stages seven
davs a week and fifty-two weeks in
the year. In addition we have an
other theater which houses a musical
comedy stock, also a strong organiza-
ton of it's kind, for the greater part
of each year. No other city in the
country, even twice Los Angeles size,
can duplicate this condition.
1t happened naturally. For many
years the syndicate, in absolute con-
troll of the theatrical situation the
country over, sent to the coast few
of it's stronger attractions Los An
geles then was merely way station,
or to be more accurate, an out-of-the-
way station on the dramatic map. The
big stars in the theatrical world sell
dom thought of coming here and when
they did, their managers at once in
formed them that it wouldn't pay. So,
the lure of the box office proved
stronger than the lure of the west.
Then the Burbank theater was built.
AT first the house played travelling at
fractions but the local management
soon found that it couldn't induce
good ones to come so far away from
New York and stock was tried, first
by one man and then by another, with
Indifferent success.
OLIVER MOROsCO ARRIVES
Up In San Francisco there was a
young chap who was just breaking
into the business end of the theatrical
game. He heard of the Burbank and
came here to look it over. He thought
he saw future for the house prop
erly managed, and he secured con-
troll of it. The theater then was rath-
er far out of town, but Oliver MOros
co went to work to build up a paying
clientele and, when he, too, found that
road shows didn't pay, entered the
stock game on his own account. With
in a short time red ink entries be-
came fewer and fewer on the Bur-
bank ledger until finally they disap-
peared altogether.
A few years later Frederic Belasco
of san Francisco also came here. The
Belasco theater was built and opened
with a Belasco play. Then, when Broth
er Frederic returned n orth, he left in
change of his Los Angeles house an
other young man who had been a
dramatic editor in that dear Allegheny
and in Washington and who had come
10 the coast as advance man, herald
ing the approach Of Mrs. Leslie Car
ter. Since then, except for brief
period Immediately prior of Frederic
Belasco's retirement from the local
field. John Blackwood has continued
to sway the destinies of the Belasco
playhouse.
From time to time attempts were
made also to establish musical stocks,
perhaps that at the old Casino, now
the Los Angeles theater, being the
most notable. One by one, however
these companies closed their engage
nents until the arrival upon the scene
of Ferris Hartman, who at the Grand
opera house has made light opera and
musical comedy productions paying
venture.
That is how it happened; now let us
consider the progress Of the stock
movement and its effects. To begin
with, the stock company does an i'm
portant work in educating theater-
Eoers. Through its efforts a lot Of
persons who otherwise never would
20 to the theater at all acquire the
cheap prices That phase of the stock
company problem is not local merely.
IT has been noted and commented upon
all over the country. The good ''shOW
towns are those which have COmpe-
tent and long established stock com
panies. OF course it is aasy in a con-
sideration Of this subject, to cOnfound
cause with effect but it is at least
accurate TO say that the stock com
panY is ordinarily less an effect Of
good business than it is q cause. 1t
makes its own prosperity instead of
sharing the prosperity of the com
bination" houses and ultimately it
operates to increase their box office
receipts.
In short the stock company is a
training school for theater-gOers. In
most cities it's managers, finding a
comfortable profit each season, have
been content TO remain in the training
school class, but in Los Angeles the
situation has developed somewhat diff
ferently Here the three stock man
ayers, Messrs. MoTosco, BlackWood and
Kavanaugh, who is the business head
of the Ferris Hartman organization,
have kept pace with the demands Of
their audiences. They have secured
high royalty plays, many of them
works that have been seen locally
first i'm stock They have maintained
expensive and competent companies,
and they have made productions which
compare faVorably with the best sent
here from the east. Consequently their
clientele has remained loyal. Instead
of passing ON to the combination
houses it continues week after week
to occupy its accustomed seats i'm one
or more of the playhouses devoted to
stock, only going elsewhere occasion
ally to satisfy its curiosity regarding
some famous travelling star
Thus it is true that in Los Angeles
the stock company has cut into the
business OF the travelling troupe, but
since the stock company can do this
only when it offers attractions of
merit sufficiently great to compete sue
cessfully with the combination, it
is difficult to figure out any menace
a offacfiuo tbpat -gOpTs i'm contra d is