Evening star., 1911-05-28

New Ork VINO owns the attraction, the To-
cal manager agrees to furnish his theater
completely lighted and heated for certain
dates, all properties or scenery called for by
the road company free, the tickets, pro-
grams, bill posting, and window privileges,
the usual number of stage hands, property
man, ushers, and house orchestra. All these
arrangements are made before the company
leaves New York and are not subject of
hand to mouth dealings.
What the Advance Agent Does
7 EAVING actors and play out of considera-
- ton, the advance agent has the fate of the
attraction in his hands. Its business is made
or unmade by him. His duties are many and
various; first, to see that the show printing
has arrived. This printing is shipped by the
lithographer, who is also furnished with a
route sheet, direct to the theater. Satisfied
of this, the advance agent gets up his ad-
vance notices, interviews editors, and some
times gives out interviews on his own ac-
count, when he can get them in. He is one
week ahead of his show, and if it is playing
a week stand the advance agent waits for
the company to arrive in order to confer
with the business manager as to prospects.
The advance agent also furnishes the
house stage carpenter with a scene plot, or
when the company carries all its own scenery
it is called cline and carpenters plot"
This tells how many lines (ropes) are neces-
sary to hang the drops and borders on and
over the stage, and how many stage hands
it will take to handle the show,-usually
four on each side,-and how many men in
the flies to run the stage; also calcium. gas,
and electrical plots, which call for all the
light effects to be used throughout the play;
a plot showing what properties are to be
furnished by the theater. In the old days,
when road companies travelled without a
stick of scenery, the house furnished every
thing. This writer has seen Edwin Booth
in Hamlet at the Walnut Street Theater,
Philadelphia, when the stage for the 3play-
ers' scene" was a kitchen table with green
baize cloth thrown loosely over it, and when
the cloth worked off it left the pseudo stage
bare. But those days are happily gone in
first class theaters. @Clear stage" on scene
plot means that the company carries all its
own scenery.
If the advance agent is hustler he will
personally make tour of the town and see
given him, also engage extra windows of
empty stores, and get photos of the star or
company shown wherever it is possible. These
window privileges, as they are called, are
paid for sometimes in cash and sometimes
in free tickets. If there is a very careful
stage manager with the company, for each
week stand he will call rehearsal of the en-
tire company on Monday morning in order
that the actors may try their voices in and
become accustomed to the new auditorium.
Each theater has its peculiar acoustic quail
ties and defects. Then, when the first per-
Torrance comes off, the company will feel
more at home.
The advance agent also hands the busi-
ness manager document called an advance
agents advice sheet. This contains the date
the attraction opens, number of perform
ances, name of theater and town or city.
He also incloses the contract made with the
local manager $50 called to distinguish him
from the travelling manager), terms of con-
tract, orchestra and carpenters call, supers'
call if one is necessary, the contract for
hauling baggage and scenery in and out,
amount of company's share of newspaper
advertising, resume of the number of seats
in the theater and the prices charged for
tickets, the stage dimensions, which include
what electric light system is used, name of
the next stand, the railroad by which COM
pany leaves town, and the hour, the names
of the hotels in the stand, and professional
rates made for actors. This sheet is exclu-
sively for the use of the business manager.
The "call" which is posted just inside of
the stage door gives the actor all infor1na-
k1oA l.: 80 o1c