Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12


riyalries result in too many theaters in dis
astrous bookings Of one play against another
and in a general ignoring of the welfare oil the
theater as an enduring institution. And be-
cause when the rivalry between the two G.eat
theater chains the Shubert chain and the En-
LANCER chain tthe former Theatrical Syndicate)
first began there was competition from the
movies" the motor the radio, and prohts
were easy because the public was the powers
that-be never learned how to do business In
o competitive world and don't know yet.
Let us take some of the figures we have
quoted, or others can find, and analy1e
them so far cs space permits to try TO as
cover what they actually signify.
Lunt and Fontanne, in Elizabeth the Queen,
played only in larger ctiss-a dozen OF them.
They played as part of the Theater Guilds
season In other words, they were supported
by subscription audiences. bIilt up over two
p,evious seasons and ready to start the rush.
Prices were not raised, though people were
turned away The play was of sturdy appeal,
the acting ample, with the combined reputation
Of the actors and the Guild behind the procuc-
ton to assure the public OF square deal.
Even So the Guild sent ahead OF this play
not one but two skilled press agents, one to
handle the usual publicity. one to establish
contacts with schools. COLLEGES clubs, etc. The
play was not turned adrft to take its chances.
It was handled with the utmost attention, on
rigid business principles, and sold" to the kind
of people most likely to appreciate it. 1t rep
resented q triumph of the organized audience,
financial square dealing. the maintenance OF an
established trade mark CTheater Guild Play
valued and ample, emotionally exciting acting.
THE largest receipts OF both Miss Barrymore's
tour and that of WalteS Hampden in THE
Admirable Crchton" were not taken in thea
tiers at all, but in large civic semi-civic audi
toriums and the ratio between seating capacity
and receipts indicates that hundreds and hun
ole oPS rod Of 1HSc fhar q
This also true Of the Strange Interlude"
tour.
The management Of these auditorums is not
an absentee one; it is not in New York. The
management is local. and the entertainments
in these auditoriums take on q civic character.
More than that they generally sponsored
by one more civic groups, or brought to the
town by a local concert manager who has his
own ways Of getting support.
From the moment the play is booked there
is a campaign on in that town to awake inter-
est and sell seats. This is all the easier be-
cause, being under local management, only
those plays are booked for which some local
demand Is known to exist, and which are Of
the kind acceptable to that community The
reason why Shakesperian company succeeded
in Salt Lake City last Winter was because the
Mormon Church, always friendly to the thea
ter, invited 1t there and rouse the interest.
The reason why Walker Whiteside played two
enormous performances In Omaha was because
the local Drama League booked him and per
sonally saw to 1t that the tickets were sold.
II became q local matter and he had several
hundred advance agents In that city
This last Spring Mrs. Fiske made q tour,
under the management OF Tracy Drake, owner
Of the Blackstone Theater, Chicago, which Is
now an Independent house. In the tour were
several weeks of one-night stands, those stand
bys Of the Old-time theater which used TO yield
a play q profit for q whole year, or even two
years. after its big-t town time had been ex-
hausted. In many Of these towns she played
in movie houses, because they no longer pos
Sess legitimate" theaters
The results were to say the least, interesting.
In Iowa City, Urbana, III, and Bloomington,
Ind, business was excellent, for the simple rea-
son that the performances were guaranteed by
the State universities in those respective towns.
and were booked there because q number Of
people wished to see Mrs. Fiske. In certain
other Midwestrn towns business was bad be-
cause, as Mrs Piske's manager put 1t, ninth
company" Of some second rate show had just
biIked the natives so that they had AL joined
anti-theater association for mutual prOtec-
ton"
The excuse given for poor business in certain
Michigan towns was that Ethel Barrymore had
been there the week before, and the local peck
etbooks weren't equal to q play q week. In
Pennsylvania business was very bad Here
there were no college guarantees, and no adj
vance work by local groups. Both the advance
agent and company manager with Mrs Fiske
wise in the ways of the theater, and they
both declared after the tour was over that the
greatest opposition they encountered on the
road was not the movies" but the local theater
manager when he belonged TO the old school
Of sublimated janitor for the absentee owners
in New York. These men they found quite out
Of touch with the present-day theater and It's
problems without any lists of prospective
patrons, any follow-up methods, any initiative
in making contacts and carrying out q sales
campaign
THE company agent can be in a One-night