New-York tribune., 1919-08-25
Shuberts Announce That 1t
Will Remain Closed Until
Conditions in Theatres
Become Normal Again
''Listen Lester on Road
Goes to Atlantic City and
Hopes InjunciionWill Help
1t Stay There All Week

But the Shuberts do not class them
selves with the other theatres that
have been forced to close their doors
because of the actors strike They
announced that they would rather
close than give other than the usual
high grade of performances.
The Winter Garden was kept open
up to last night, first with reor-
ganized company of actors, then with
an improvised house staff. One night
the Shuberts shifted their own seen
cry, announcing that they had under
taken this burden in order to keep
the doors of the theatre open. The
audiences appeared to enjoy this new
form of entertainment and applauded
the announcement.
Injunction at Atlantic City
Members Of the Listen Lester" com
pany, a musical comedy, left here last
night for Atlantic City confident that
their weeks engagement at the Apollo
Theatre on the Boardwalk there would
not be interfered with by strike of
stagehands. They were not so conf
dent. however. that they would have
musicians in the orchestra pit.
Word has been received that the
Nixon Amusenent Company, owners
of the Apollo Theatre. had been
=
Joining the Atlantic City local of the
stagehands' union from striking. This
is the first time the theatre mechanics
have been cnjoined from striking.
Frederick f. Moore, vice president
of the Nixon Amusement Company and
manager Of the Apollo Theatre. went
before Chancellor John H. Backes, sit
ting IN an impromptu courtroom in the
fotel Traymore, at Atlantic City. Mr..
Moore informed the chancellor that
he had information that strike of
stagehands was to be called, sympa
thetic reflex of the actors strike in
New York. He explained that the
Apollo Theatre had signed a contract
with It's stagehands on June l. and
that this contract did not expire until
June l, 1920.
May Have Piano Only
If the musicians strike at the Apollo
Theatre, it was said here last night
that the show would be given with the
aid Of piano player This is being
done at the Winter Garden. The run
of Listen Lester" at the knickerbocker
lheatre here was stopped August 16
by q strike of stagehands and musi-
cans. Some of the members of the cast
who had gone on strike had been re-
placed.
Plans were completed yesterday by
the striking actors for the production
OF several plays on a cooperative basis.
Ail-star productions are TO be staged
IN such New York theatres as the
Actors Equity Association can lease
and also in q string of out of town
theatres.
Colonel Earle Boothe, chairman of
the ENTERTAINMENT committee of the
Actors Equity Association. opened
play reading department and a cast
!ng bureau yeste rday. Several success
full playwrights have promised to let
tho Equity have all their plays that
are not tied UP by contracts with mem
bers OF the Producing Managers AS
sociation. q,
The first production to go on the
road will be the benefit galaxy which
has been showing at the Lexington
Avenue Theatre. Special trains will
carry the actors, their orchestra and
stage hands to Saratoga on Wednes-
day.
Cohan Learns He's President
The newly formed Actors Fidelity
League, through q committee, informed
George NJ. Cohan yesterday that they
had elected him their president. Mem
bers of the committee met Mr.. Cohan
at Great Neck, I. He told them he
would accept just as soon as the Pro-
ducing Managers Association accepted
his resignation. Mr.. Cohan's resigna-
tion will be considered by that organi-
zation at meeting this afternoon. The
members of the Actors Fidelity League
plan to inaugurate him with elabo-
rate ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel
The headquarters of the Actors FL
deity League in 1922 West Forty third
Street We're practically deserted yes
terday, but an announcement was is
sued that fifty new members had been
enrolled, which would make the total
membership 1888.
intended applying for membership in
the Producing Managers Association
because his show, "The Scandals of
1919" had been closed by the Actors
Equity Association. Actors, stage hands
and musicians struck at the Liberty
Theatre Saturday night, ending the
performance of THE Scandals"
Mr. White said the strike had been
ordered against his show because it
was being given in theatre owned by
Klaw G Erlanger, members of the Pro-
ducing Managers Association.
"Broadway Brevities,' a musical pro-
duction featuring Rufus Lemaire and
Harry Waddel, was forced to discon-
tinue rehearsals yesterday because of
the strike.
Stewart Issues Statement
Grant Stewart, corresponding secre-
tary Of the Equity, issued the follow
ing statement yesterday:
"In the preamble of the constitution
of the Actors Fidelity League is the
statement that the organization is
founded on cooperation and filedity.'
"Yet what do the past records ofsthe
members show? That they have been
neither cooperative nor faithful to the
organization to which most of them
belonged for years. We presume that
thev mean to turn over new leaf.
This presumption is fortified by
their suddenly awakened interest in
their fellow actors, an interest that has
lain strangely dormant in the breasts
of all but one or two Of them. Even
some of their members who were on
the council of the Actors Equity As
sociation did not attend the council
meetings for months and months. We
are so glad that they at last realize
that they have a responsibility toward
their follow actors.
1--WE cannot help wondering what the
American Federation of Labor will
think of the choice of initials made
by those who christened the new or
ganizaton the Actors Fidelity League,
after their definite and positive dis
association from the great big mother
order which bears the same initials"
/ Three hundred of the prettiest girls
of the Actors Equity Association