The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-10-28
INDIANA GRAND OPERA COMPANY FEASIBLE
Plan of Federation of Clubs to Give Opportunity O
Hearing Good Music Ccmmendable- Amateur
Management Often Ends in Disaster

But to return to the Indiana Opera
company
The organization of such an aggre-
CATION OF musicians and thespians
would present difficulties, if. as un-
derstood. residents Of the state were
to be drawn upon for it's casts
The presentation of opera requires
theatrical finesse, of a sort, as we'll
as OF musical erudition Whether or
not the combination could be found
in sufficient numbers to make up an
ensemble which would serve to "edu-
cate the public would be question.
1t has been pointed out that far bet
ter results might come about through
companies already in the field. That
to make contract with the Aborn
Grand Opera company, say. which Is
giving the best in this field Of musical
art in English. and at popular prices.
to tour the state, might serve better,
the end desired by the promoters, or
suggestors, of this plan. than the for
nation of an Indiana Grand Opera
company"
Here you have an organization al
ready perfected, on a business basis,
with all the theatrical accessories,
with capable casts, and with that ex.
perience of, and familiarity with, the
dramatic phases of opera which are
necessarily attendant upon it's presen-
tation.
There is nothing wrecked on the
rocks with greater sureness than the
amateur management
What more alluring than the vision
of long rows waiting at the box office
to reserve seats at your particular
show"
If you sell five hundred tickets at
fifty cents, say. this will bring in two
hundred and fifty dollars. You pay
your performer" 500, your rentee
fifty dollars and then there is one
| hundred dollars left for yourself.
Gee! What an easy way to make mo-
ney.
You see yourself local impre-
| sario.
Oh, yes. there is the advertising and
other things. You had forgotten
that But of course, you will sell a
thousand tickets. You wanted to be
conservative SO estimated on q basis
of five hundred.
In the meantime you get somebody
who has had experience before, to sell
the tickets at a small percent.
| Later this person of experience
strikes.
You hold out No, nothing more
! than the first named percentage. Oh.
we'll. take half.
| Three days before the event is pull.
ed off you have a. conference with
your ticket-seller..
| Merciful heavens! Havn't you sold
but one hundred tickets. What's the
matter?
The seller says he knew 1t all the
time. That he never, in all of his
vast experience, knew of thing OF
this sort succeeding. People in this
town wouldn't pay fifty cents for the
best thing in the world. They were
a set Of unappreciative jays.
The reason the seller didn't tell you
this before was because he didn't like
to discourage you. He didn't like to
knock"
BE a booster, not a knocker," he
says with sickly grin.
Red stars float before your eyes.
You long to fall upon his neck and
throttle him.
| At his suggestion you call up the per-
| former on the long distance telephone
No, he won't call it off, He holds you
to your contract. He hangs up the
receiver and central can't find him
again.
So, in desperation, you order ad
vertisements a foot high inserted in
all the papers with the juciest circu.
lations. Your best friends agree to
get it announced in the Sunday
schools and at the women's clubs and
one long, desperate, final and despair
| ing sprint is made for the goal.
The morning after you awake with
a bad attack of amateur managetics
You have alienated several of you,