Bisbee daily review., 1911-09-08
SCORES OF ACTORS
 HUNTING FOR WORK
Producing Managers 0venun With Application for En-
 gagement in Plays
lNew York Times.l


 ficulty Of obtaining employment this season is greater than it has been for a good many years. There are today ! many we'll known actors ldle at what is usually the most active period of the theatrical year-actors whose ser vices have been in demand and who have seldom been without engage ! ments on Labor Day. Others who have signed contracts and are await ing delayed calls for rehearssls are in the same situation as those with out engagements of any sort.
 The engagement agencies bear out the complaints of the actors. Their offices are overrun with applicants for places-they usually are, for that matter-and some players are ask ing for and accepting places much lower than those to which they have been accustomed
 The cause seems to be the tendency on the part of producing managers this year to hold back on the produc- ton of new plays until they have been able to feel the trend of theatrical business. Managers who heretofore have had half a dozen new plays be- fore the public. or in the course Of preparation by this time, are postpon- ing their productions this year.
 One firm that announced some thir- ty new pieces for production has put only two of them in rehearsal so far, although it is preparing to start oth- CTS soon. Another firm that had three new plays running in New York on Labor Day last year has only one this year, and only one new company in rehearsal.
 Of the Broadway theaters that housed first class plays at this time last season, seven of them are closed or are playing motion pictures. Only two new theaters, excluding the Win ter Garden and the Folies. Bergere, have been added to the list of last year Last year fifteen of the Labor Day attractions were new plays; this year there are only nine that can be considered new productions.
 All this means that there is less for the actors to do, for while there may be the usual number of road produc- tions" to fill the out-of-town theaters, Broadway productions may be consid- cred a measure of the managers ac- tivities. It would seem, however, that productions for the road" are propor- tionately fewer so far this year. At least the big producing managers are sending out fewer companies.
 On the other hand, according to some of the engagement agencies, there will be more than the usual number of what might be termed one company managers this season. Men with just enough money to equip and send out one company are venturing into the field, aad are taking charge of plays thst have outrun their big city usefulness, but that are still good for the one-night stands"
 The big producers generally are adopting the policy of farming out plays of this sort to eliminate from their offices and clerical and manage rial work attached to "one-night stand business. The one company manager. therefore, is able to rent good theatrical properties, and, of course, to give employment to many actors.
 Many of these actors, however, be- long to the seemingly unlimited sup ply of players who are not in demand for New York productions. For the latter the Broadway popularity Of an actor, combined, of course, with his ability, makes him in demand, ana when there are few Broadway pToduc tions under way the demand falls of
 There are plenty of announcements made of future productions, however and the managers who are not st active as usual now, may make up fol their slackness later in the season Those closely connected with the the atrical business look on the delays .I productions as a healthy sign. The think that by holding on until a safe guess at business conditions in gen eral can be made the managers vii have less chance of failures due t' unreasonable productions, and vii also be able 10 prepare their play with greater care. The number o productions a manager makes in season, they say, is of less conse quence than the number of weeks tn companies play to profitable business
 But the actors who are not so foI tunate as to be in the few early pro auctions don't like the idea of hay ing to wait a month or so longer thal they expected before the first salar day comes around. They all want t be at work at the beginning of the sea son, and the season is supposed to b really under way on Labor Day.