Evening star., 1949-10-02
CuDitu| Generous
TOSunner Drama
$225,OOO Paid at Box Offices
Of Olney and Meridian Park
by Joy Carmody

The winds of late September were full of figures
follow those which
the mind may dwell.
group upon chooses to
mediate for other than that they are more appro
pirate a subject for Sunday column. -.
of figures which camors for reflection 10 that
having to do with the devotion Of National
a to the drama These show that traditonay
months Of the the Oey and Meridian Park summer play
places between them attracted totang almost
$225ooo.
Sum Paid for Revival Plays.
lot Of spheres Of human activity In which this
not great money them.
Of the dramas atractiveness the sum reflects
deep community hunger live entertainment is acute
reminder that the Of legitimate
local costing connected with 1t than the
s1oooooo which National earned AS reminder 1t is
sharper than Is attrac
ons offered between the two teaters only two were new
productions. .
nearly s225 ooo then washingtonans paid to
reviva which, for all their excellence by summer theate
considerably inferior quality to the dramas
what the theaters earned here
National did irresistible temptation
$4,000. Since it is purely
the wrong kind Of paperhere not much he can 90
Total Investment se,ooo,ooo
thing do however to relate to the theaes
total investment in production This latter gu calculated by
the fiscal minded to be in the neighboood Of year
s to fs OF aaa: up the e me M
Kates and the other most OF which fall
the total production investment is $e,ooo.ooo
This total surprisingly small in contrast to the amounts in
production less actually than the cost Of
producing Joan Of Arc which only Of more than $50
motion picture investments in its year.
Nevertheless there no eudns the truth that s. 900
. handsome return such investment.
Not merely somebody but everybody to be making
grave mistake in letting it slide.
other set figures which appeared during the
last settled with louder ud the tender heart
OF show business.
the grim fiscal by Actors Equity Asocia
on Of the bitter economies of the acting profession
snted article by Alan Hewitt which faces the facts OF artistic
life with kind Of desperate The title Of Author Hews
piece is: why Be an Actor?"
Twelve months from ST. 1s4s to May 49, 1s4s
cred in the survey which the article is based.
One in Seven Had Jobs.
Lamentable truths fairly stampede through the
The 194s than Of
Equy members working improved this Sit
uation during the eight weeks from July through Labor Day. 1s4
but At this peak. almost in 10 members
ployed but October the level employment back
In
For the whole terms Of percentages 81 cent Of the
membership unemployed, with maximum unemployment
reaching 1914 per cent and minimum 703 per cent
It is in the of income that Mr. Hewitts
report becomes virtually gruesome In his words:
Zone out of two actors who performed stage In the
OF this had earnings $500 The lowest
made $305 or less One in four made $3.50 Halt Of those
working earned between $3o5 $2540
$4,000 more"
Out of exhaustive context these figures precise
disclosure Of the actors plight in oday uncertain but rapidly
diminishing. theater situation
To the most unanayc mind the contrasting
must suggest that there for geogeher between all
elements the heaer what earning
Of the drama During the richest months Of the
it earning absolutely nothing Washington present
situation maintains.