Show THEATRICAL WAR AR ON IN GREAT BRITAIN Touring Companies Demand More Than 50 Per Cent of House Offerings London Nov 11 The managers of ot certain touring theatrical companies are engaged in a dispute with man malt managers managers agers of ot provincial theatres concerning concern concerning ing the question of or terms The tour tOUl touring touring ing managers complain that the pro provincial managers man sers have h e formed a sort of booking ring or trust and have de decided to give nothing over 50 per pel cent of the takings to any company except a London star attraction Two of the touring managers have therefore I decided to take their plays to t music i halls and produce them under an nn oc 00 occasional occasional license lIcon The provincial managers manager II said Id a touring manager will not allow sketches in the music halls hall They prosecute whenever they the get a chance On the other hand they will not give giveliS us liS the terms that we ask commensurate commensurate commensurate with the very large companies that we c carry and the large fees to authors that we have to pay The lo local to cal eal manager supplies nothing except the bare baro shell of ot a 11 theatre with some som small band and the ticket collecting staff Some of us on the other hand handl have havo 10 1 O people in our companies comp vies l whose railway tares faros we have to Pt pay any I and therefore the lions share of or thee the I receipts are ours by the usual and I most equitable laws of theatrical sharing Successes sea Get Poor Toor Percentage l This Is Ii all now mow being altered Wa We Weare 6 are toM toil that London sic suc successes ic esses are to be treated with no better bettor i percentages than th n ordinary rY provincial provincia to plays I ays which never seen s en the light of London fame All Ail that is i sunk in a London Lundon production has not one penny contributed to it by the provincial manager who says that he must come in tn on terms as an equal partner In the old days it t was waa W JI 56 lib per percent percent percent cent and 60 per cent to the traveling manager for a drama and an aD a tra 5 or 01 10 per cent for a musical play pia or big attraction Now the theatres want to offer us 60 50 p pr per r cent all aU around I for my m part have determined to tIght it tooth and nail nall and shall hall await the interesting experiment made by Georgo George Dance who on one of his tours has boldly baldly refused to go to the i legitimate theatres theatre in two of the larg larf largest I est eat towns tow and has hie openly booked the local music halls for tor which engage encase engagements encasements engagements ments the manager managers will obtain an occasional license lI ense and thus thu avoid an informers prosecution The musts must hall halt public which is an around one will wUl welcome a change from its Uti usual nightly fare tare The re result result sult suIt will be a 11 big gain pIn boUt both to the resident and the touring manager Position Becomes Serious The position has lias become so 80 serious that except for tor the biggest London successes it has not been worth any ones while to take many good plays Into the country The provincial managers man managers manag agers ag rs say s r We wont have hae you at all aU unless at our price we wont allow dramatic sketches or plays plas at the tho music halls unless the halls possess po a dramatic license As A all this boycotting boycotting ting nonsense Jg 15 s being b carried out by many mall a who them themselves selves have interests lf r s and managing powers in maps m n of the musio han halt syn ern syndicates It is felt that a stand hand tand should be made and j IL a l be made In the way I have hae sug I |