FORTUNES LOST.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 207, 14 June 1933, Page 6

FORTUNES LOST.

AMERICANS FACING RUIN.

CLOSING OF 6000 THEATRES. Huge fortunes have been lost on the American stage during the season which has lately been concluded. Promotors, producers and* actors, once wealthy, are facing ruin, says the New York correspondent of the “Sunday Chronicle.” Nearly 6000 theatres throughout the country have had to close their doors because of the prolonged period of depression, and with the coming of summer others are likely to follow suit. So serious is the situation for the actors and actresses that there are thousands ready to take any kind of job, and these include men and women whose names were almost household words a few years ago. It is estimated that there are at least 10,000 players out of work and hundreds of them are on the verge of starvation. Scores have done no work since the end of the boom three years ago.

Five years ago there were 10,000 members in the Actors’ Equity Association and more than 90 per cent were fully paid members. To-day less than 40 per cent of the total membership have paid their dues, and only 2500 were successful in obtaining employment on thb legitimate stage during, the past season. In aii effort to revive their dying theatres, managers throughout the country embarked on a price-slashing campaign early this year, but the results were not comforting. Although more people attended the various shows the gross receipts were less than when prices were higher. Various reasons for the decline have been put forward. The cinema has made rapid strides, while the theatre has lost. Immediately after the war theatres sprung up like wildfire throughout the States. Most of them are now closed, while others have been taken over for the showing of films.