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Show CHORTJS GIRLS WORK HARD. Most of Them Don't Have Any Summer Sum-mer Vncntions. A woman who "dotes" on musical comedy com-edy was wondering tho other day where thc chorus girls spend their vacations. "Do they make a bee line for tho seashore when the show season la ovor, or do tho mountains appeal to them more?" sho musefd. When this question wns repeated to a mistress of the robes of theatrical robes whp was hard at work ln tho upper up-per story of a big theater building, she answered: "That's an ensy ono. Chorus girls don't have any trouble choosing between be-tween mountains and seashore, for the very good reason that they go to neither. Chorus girls don't have a vacation. "There aro exceptions, maybe, but they only provo this rule, that tho rank and filo.of chorus girls never dream, as do most other young womon who work for a living, of pacing up and starting off to this, that or thc other resort every summer sum-mer for a two, three or four weeks' vacation. va-cation. Saleswomen, typewriters, milliners, milli-ners, dressmakers, all havo vacations, but not thc chorus girl. Yes, I know this doesn't agree with tho popular Idea of her life. The reason? Well, here It Is: From an outsider's point of view chorus girls might easily take a vacation ln June without anybody objecting at all; and so they might, but for one thing: Chorus girls don't dnro leave Now York In Juno for fear of losing a chance to nail an engagement en-gagement for the fall season, which begins be-gins anywhere from the middle of August to September 1. "Most of tho shows on tour ln tho spring, ns well na tho Now York productions, produc-tions, close up in May, which -means that tho girls aro discharged then and for tho tlmo being aro out of a Job. Take a vacation va-cation then? Of course, thoy could. No one would stop them. But they don't daro to. Instead of leaving New York, they all flock hero and present themselves them-selves promptly nnd persistently to thc different mnnagers. for If a chorus girl Isn't ongnged ln the early summer, her chances for a steady winter engagement aro slim, and sho knows It. After an application ap-plication la made It may bo a good many days beforo managers decide, and then It It is almost time to begin rohenrsals. which last nnywhoro from four to olght weeks, and mean that the chorus must get together every week day and practice prac-tice from 10 to 12, and from 1 to -1. "The hardest work of the wholo year Is dono by the chorus girls ln July and August, Au-gust, and. what Is moro. thoy don't get a cent for doing it. Their pay doesn't bo-gln bo-gln till tho production Is actually put on tho boards and the box office Is open to tho public. Another phaso of tho case somo people fall to consider Is this. Tho averago chorus girl can't nfford a vacation. vaca-tion. Most of them, In fact, find It linrd to pull through tho summer without running run-ning in debt. It all depends on how much of tholr winter salary they save. Chorus girls got fairly good pay about $18 or moro a week and tho provident ones lay by a llttlo In thc busy season to help steer them aafely through tho dull season sea-son Others are careless and spend as they go, depending a good deal on tho chanco of getting a summer engngement. I ought to explalu. porhaps, that Improvidence Improvi-dence Is not thc only reason why so many chorus girls can't afford a vacation. Thoro Is another which tho general public pub-lic Is not wIbo to: Nino out of every ten I have known were trying to contrlbuto to somebody's support." |