THEATRICAL MONOPOLIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 January 1928, Page 8

THEATRICAL MONOPOLIES

ACTRESS TO PAY DAMAGES. By a judgment secured in the First Chamber of the Civil Court in Paris, the Comedie Francaise, the principal theatre in France, has once more vindicated its claim to hold a monopoly for twenty years of the services of actors and actresses who are admitted to its company. The case was a claim by the theatre for 300,000 francs (about £2400) damages, against Mme. Huguette-Duflos and M. Lehmann, manager of the Porte Saint Martin Theatre, the claim being based on the contention that by resigning from the Comedie Francaise Company, after having been a member for only ten years Mme. HuguetteDuflos had broken her contract, and fchat M. Lehmann, by engaging her 1 appear in, a revue which he was producing, had made himself a party to this offence. The rule which obliges artists of the Comedie Francaise to serve that theatre and no other for 20 years has been the subject of much criticism but it remains as it was laid down by Napoleon Bonaparte when by decree he fixed the constitution of the National Theatre. Madame HuguetteDuflos and M. Lehmann have, therefore, been ordered to pay jointly 150,000 francs (about £1200) damages.