The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-29
THE RIALTO
 REVIEW


 usual condition ever known in the history of the international stage was the unannounced event of the past week when the Actors Equity Association, an actors protective or sanization, now affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, called strike" of players in New York and succeeded in closing twelve of the first-class theatres No definite announcement Was made until seven oclock en the evening of the strike. ana the result was highly original Only few members of each cast were members of the association
 but they succeeded in closing the play casting out the non-members and disquieting the public which as usual. enacted the role of goat"
 To briefly summarize the difficult ties 1t may be stated that three years ago the theatrical producing mana gers and the acting players entered into an agreement as to contract terms. This period expired this year and both parties sought to improve their interests. The actors demanded certain radical concessions including the right of recognition of the Act ors' Equity Association and affilia- ton with the labor unions with the right of strike" The managers granted many of the demands but
 others they denied, and the discus sion then became acrimonious and Rthe managers issued an ultimatum
 that they would grant individual players most of the demands but would treat them only as individuals
 This would have eliminated the as-
 sociation as an organization and their answer was amalgamation with the moribund organization heretofore known as the White Rats, and with this organization its chief objections, a professional agitator and discredited leader, named Mount ford. who made a complete wreck of the White Rats. When the mana gers and actors discontinued joint negotiations. each began jockeying for position. A strike was called dur ing rehearsals of the play Gnu Chin Chow" but it was a failure, and then the coup on Thursday evening when twelve theatres were closed causing commotion along the Rialto when the patrons began to arrive and sought to have the money refunded which they paid for tickets. The l. and the end is not yet within sight. The public opinion has been divid- ed until the strike. It was then seen that the actors cry of commercial manager had no basis in fact that the actors themselves were not will ling to put into practice. The pulse of the public appears to beat for the managers at present, or rather for themselves. They have paid Nb-
 orally for entertainment, and 1ey feel that having supported the play CTS in public esteem rather than the managers in the past, they have right to have their rights considered in part. But with the new and radical labor element in the ranks of the actors, there can be no compromise. It will mean their substantial vic- tory or their annihilation as an or ganization. A complete closing of every theatre, moving picture and vaudeville house in the UnGteG States is not an ideal dream, us ene bur qesque, moving picture and vaude- vile interests have Joined with the producing managers. If this should become a reality the loss to the man agers would be stupendOus, but 1t would be far more disastrous to the actors, because they have no reserve fund and the labor unions, if they should prepare a strike fund and pay them a retainer would probably find their offer repudiated. It would be insulting to the dignity of a player, in his judgment to be offered fifteen dollars a week benefit fund when he feels that he is being cheated out of every dollar short of $500 which the manager pays him.
 Strange to say, the only two plays produced the week the strike went into effect were labor plays. socialis- tic and BoIsheviki The Challenge" had Holbrook Blinn Allan Dine l hart and others. Eugene Walters wrote it and 1t was an arraignment of socialism, a sort of dramatic yer | sion of the present industrial unrest which the actors themselves added | to If is not a good play, but Eugene Walters has done much to bring out ! thes alient points of both sides. In | this he has been fair to a fault. MT. | Blinn and MT Dinehart were the ! actors to win first approval. IL IS significant that MT. Blinn enacted ! the role in opposition to the one ne ! later played when he joined the reD- | els The play was first known as l Poor Little Sheep suggestive or the | flock that followed the leader wilful- I ly. blindly. simply. And yet that IS | exactly what he has done actually.
 'sThe Red Dawn" by Thomas DIX
 on. followed. This is also Bolshe- 1 wiki nightmare, but happily. 1t did nor l last long, only three nights. The 1 hest thing that can be said TOT II i was that MT. Dixen was sincere ana l Dewitt c. Jennings, the prlnclpai | actor was good.