Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-25
g THE AMERICAN THEATRE GOING BACK
n no THE DOLLAR-AND-A-HAL SCALE?
r arricbIeduces Prices, While the Cut-rate Comedy
in New York Comes to Spec
tacular Finish
By the Dramatic Editor

-,uts week brings the mos. ,nI mO'1s ,Sao,rs
s.ouncement from locai 'neeu 80
s,nce the shuberts broke away
r'n'. ,vndicate 10 years ago. samuel
p'n ~ has reduced the prices OF the
y r'' rneatre TO $50 SCALE ana
oH''p- !. Neep them there all through
P'r. Ps.or that promises such new iorh
~ az kick In" and 1T Pays TO
fpece.,.s,' and Under Cover SOME
% hovs.,,ss' - the came thing Is happening III
New forso a vsars 10 bring the best seats
Il took 81 81 20 $3.50 II took 20 more TO
w noser ron half dollar. Is the American
sdd anosrs, .srr 40 20 back to the old rate IN
.,r.,e seasonf
knd ssoers WY will probably say the
Ine Tsbev would be nearer the truth
movies ,,an,ed II on their own gambling
us' r. Il an outcome of years OF
A f'nss, ,ing and plunging, OF ticket Jug
'spssuera -. ana rate cutting that almost oarle
Inscription.
-,,r apEcu1.AToR PROBLEM
- vsars ago the only kind of ticket
~ - was the man who charged ~
speeu'n', .,ore extra for selling you good
csn.s .ne last moment. First the man
~. .s,d n wasn't his fault. Then when
sse' ascve eve the Individual speculator OF
=. ~ ssreet. but left the theatre agencies
s,,osched, II developed that the manager
~ & cents of the agencies. % ana TOOK
back the tickets that weren soiu'
p,~n ~. motive of the manager was obvious
.-nrgh When he had to crowd house
49, ina Iong-run system of big risks
"a h,r Gains he wanted every extra cent
4 nav for the failures
mi there were other reasons given
rbs public--the people with good incomes,
tSst is-wanted to be able to buy the best
-@-ss conveniently at the last moment
7ssv were ready to pay the % per cent.
-~,ra that would prevent less extrava-
~srt hut more eager persons from buying
sSo.a seats in advance. And, of course,
y m. most democratic of the arts had
,ost all democracy, that was a good
enough reason.
same one might have suggested that II
,ha manarers wouldn't serve the public
.cnvenlence of late-comers by putting on
the extra price at the box Office, they
might hold a few rows from sale until the
night Of performance. Some one might
eyen have suggested that the managers
organize a convenient central bureau
themselves. lnStedu, tHe puDllO louiu Out
a few years ago that there was q con-
venient central bureau and that there
Nere high-priced tickets, But that they
were all Of them in the control of the
managers. The Shuberts have Just sold
out Of the Tyson agency. in New York,
for 100000.
NO TICKETS IN THE BOX OFFICES
This condition got so bad that it was
hardly Joke to say that the box Offices
were the only places where you couldn't
buy good seats The Drama Society, or
ranized to guide members to better plays
made point of it's ability to get its mem
bers good seats at the regular 81 rate
But this condition was tame Qt was q
mere concern of the money! until the
cut-rate ticket made its appearance.
There was reason for 1t, too. The
managers found expenses increasing as
they competed for the grand prize of {
Broadway long run. They found many
z patrons refusing to patronize the hote
agencies and unable to buy seats at thu
box office. They found their balconie.
emptied by movie competition. When 6
E play was hanging on by the skin of III
teeth-bringing in something less than tn,
koW week which is necessary at {
Broadway house-what was more natura
tnan bargain sale in the unsold seats?