THEATRICAL COSTS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 17, 15 October 1919, Page 8

THEATRICAL COSTS

WHY ADMISSION TARIFF HAS BEEN RAISED MR. JOHN TAIT INTERVIEWED Visiting Wellington at. the present, time, is Air. John Tait, of the firm of : J. and N. Tait, entrepreneurs, of Sydney and Melbourne Replying to a re- ■ mark regarding the increase made in tho admission tariff, Mr.. Tait said that there was ample justification for tho rise, and tho public here would realise it' on being made aware of the position, as they had done in Australia, where 7s. had been charged for the best seals on week nights and 7s. Gd. on Saturdays for some time past. "Commence," said Mr. Tait, "with the cost ef production. ' For canvas .for scenery that wo used to be able to buy at 10d..« yard wo now have to pay from ss. to 6s. a yard, and it is not oisy to get at that. When the canyas foi a new 'production may- run into a thousand yards, the cost at the new price is pretty alarming. Then the colours used by tho scenic artists have aarnnced something like from 300 to ■MKI per cent. The cost of labour in every department has gono up considerably during the last few years. Furniture for the scenes, which either has to be mado by us oi bought, has advanced at least "lflO per cent., whilst carpets have gone up skyhigh in price compared with what they were before, the war. "Modern plays demand modern electrical fittings, No 'fake' fittings can bo used—thoy have to be, and are, the real thing, and everyone knows that tus price of such gooas has advanced anything between 200 and. 500 per cent. It is also common knowledge, too, that tho salaries of artists and orchestral performers .have been advanced during tho war period, but it does not end at that bv a long way. Take the cost i of transport before the war and now! The single, faro from Sydney to Wellington per artist, travelling with a company, was £o— to-day it is £$ 155., nearly 100 per, cent, on; I think tho • freight rate on scenery used to be about 17s. Cd. to £1 per ton; to-day it is £2 per ton, so that when wo travel with it | lot of scenery, as is the case with "Do Luxo Annie" and "The Eyes of Youth," I our freight bill is pretty considerable. "Tho rail fares and charges have not been unreasonably raised, but the cost of cartage and printing in New Zealand has advanced 100 per cent. As to the cost, of wardrobe, ask any lndy as to tho position, and she will admit that I in the price of clothes there has been more than a slight increase sinco AVilhelm shocked the world. "On top of it all, too," "said Mr. Tait, "the past year has' been a singularly unfortunate ono for theatrical managers. Mast people were able to battlo along in some way through the influenza epidemic, but we had on the shortest notice to close right down. Tho theatres in Sydney were shut for twelve weeks, and in Melbourne for six weeks, during which time we had heavy running costs to meet in our rents and a tho staffs we had to retain. Then having regard to tho cost in fares and freights in coming to New Zealand (where the seasons arc necessarily short as compared with three or four month runs in Kydney and Melbourne), it will bo seen that probably nowhere in the world are amusements cheaper than in New Zealand. You cannot see Miss Polini from the best seats in New York or London for 7s. (plus lax), yet yon can in Wellington. Ask your returned soldiers what they had to pay in London for a good seat at a good show! No, even with the rise the NewZealand playgoer is fortunate, in his theatre charges. Ho only has to travel to realiso that."