The stars on the Ohinese stage, like: some elsewhere, do not mind having it known that they have contracts for large amounts. In Several cases, according to those in the profession, contracts have been drawn properly witnessed calling for unusual amounts. At the same time there was a secret agreement! between the artist and his employer that the amount would be-paid at a dineount, Frequently the. manage, ment asks a highly paid artist, on the completion of Season, to continue for a week or two without pay.
sus the custom for generations for the management to supply food ito all stage hands og well as those connected with the business depart-iment. As the story is told by members of the profession in Shanihai, food became 0 poor thut no. first class artist could stand it. Diss Were cold ud poorly cooked, wisi generally showed an economy the part of the management which wus distasteful, Food began to be ordered from restaurants, the person ushing for it paying. A culmination of the argun: at ove~ food fended in the managemcit's throwing up the job of entering, and making an allowance to euch per-fon of 1500 cash a month for rice, This allowance remained yours, until the deflated {about 75 cents) made to be of much use. The Sin Wu Tai management ix suid tobe the only tone which yet rogalarty adds 1,500 fash to the monthly" pay. although four theatres in the city pay $2 a month, Actors are well-known as living will, and even $20 very far short of what they actually. spend monthly for food.
Shanghai theatres avo usually of toyo or three storeys, Tis stalls divided. into so-called halls, as the official first class, the special first lass, the second class, etc. The) official hall consists of eight or 10) Tows of scata downstairs nearest to the stage. After it or in the balconies are the others, according to their names. The first row of] the dress circle, which is in. the first balcony, is' known in Chinese
(7EHE) In the section behind are containing the flower seats the moon seats (HAE) Other parts of the house are simply design hated. Besides seats inthe re-! gular' rows, there are boxes.
The All Important Usher The seating in a Chinese theatre not controlled exclusively through a central box office. The ushers have a good deal to say, and itis advantageous for a person attending a performance to book through the ushers themselves, The imporbonee of the ushers is me dicated by the desirability of the, out sections they control. Persons who know only secondary ushers are likely to find themselves seated in a rear row even though they reserve arly.
The admission charge changes at different times of the year. In the summer, for instance, the price drops, as the theatre loses some of its attractiveness at this season. With the coming of cold weather the scale is advanced, and when an udier like Mei Lan-fang is billed, a er charge is made. Admission at the various theatres anges from 50. cents to $1 for eats in the offetal, the fower and the moon sections." Rear seats in the first balcony sections cost from 40 to 80 cents. Those in the se-cord balcony. bring from 15 to. 30 cents, The cheapest seat at a first lass performance la 10 cents, which, Tike all the others, is in so-called big money, that is, calculated ax frictions of the silver dollar. Most of the houses run matinees for which roducoddmitance en)
Tt is the custom to pay about 10" per cant. of adntission costs the acher handling thal section for hot towels: anda u tip. For this,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.