THE POOR PLAYER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 986, 4 March 1910, Page 4

THE POOR PLAYER.

There are few theatre-loving persons who have not at one time or another been bewitched by the performance of some "star" actor, and envied him his fame and salary, but few actors attain to these dizzy heights, and the career of the best of ihem is often brief. It has been said that when the actor dies he leaves but a memory, to which has been added-.—"He invariably leaxes behind him a widow, and three children, who want a Benefit Maiinee." The lot of the aver-1 age player is not a very enviahle one from a pecuniary standpoint, and Mr Cecil Raleigh, in the "NaMowl Re-

view," thinks the time has arrivec when actors should have a trad* union of their own to insist upon ! living wage. The acting professioi is, he says, probably the most crowd ed of all professions, owing, largely to so many young people imagining that they have a "call 1 " to go upor the boards, and to the numerous advertisements that foster this foolisl sentiment. The consequence is thai an army of Incompetents not onlj accept starvation wages, but keej them down for the genuine actor. This is largely the case in the pro vincial centres of England, where, owing to the fierce competition froir the music halls, the manager oJ travelling companies find their re ceipts so small that they are forced to keep the wages paid to their per formers down to a minimum, and verj often to advertise "no previous exper ience necessary." The writer of th< article states that an actor is lucki if he is employed for 25 weeks in every year, but even if it is al lowed that he works for 35 weeks at £2 per week, his money cannot go far. .from a carefully-drawn-ui table it is shown that for clothes, lodging, and travelling, he must pas at least £37 6s 4d a year out of hit £7O salary. Deducting the forme) sum from the lattsr it will be seer that the actor will have left £32 13s 8d for food. This sum divided by 52 shows that the actor will be left exactly 12s 6 11-13d'per week, or li 9 4-7 d per day, which leaves him s fraction over 7d per meal. The calculation make 3 no provision for any sort of drink, for tobacco, or for the purchase of a solitary book. The minimum wage that should be insisted on ia £2 a week. The spacious and ethereal dreams of youth solidifying down to £2 a week—what a tragedy!