Commercial Motors and Theatrical Touring.
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Some 3 years ago, namely, in our issue of the 30th November, 1903, we published an article on the above subject ; this was contributed by " A Touring Manager," and in it several potent arguments in favour of the use of the petrol-driven vehicle for this class of work were put forward by the author. It was this gentleman who subsequently became the proprietor and manager of " The Player Conipany," a recent theatrical combination, and he decided, in the early autumn of last year, to put to the teat the value of the motorbus for provincial touring. We recorded his start on the road in our issue of the 24th September, 1908, and were also able to illustrate the 30h.p., Commer Car," double-deck motorbus which he employed for the work. On his return to London, at the conclusion of the motoPbus tour, he was good enough to favour a member of the staff of "TUB COMMERCIAL MOTOR " with an interview, and to discuss with him the practical results of the experiment: those results are detailed in the following lines.
In order thoroughly to understand the salient points in favour of the employment of the motor vehicle for theatrical work, it is necessary that the scheme of, and daily work involved in, a provincial tour should be comprehensible, and, as we presume that those are outside the experience of the majority of our readers, a few notes by way of explanation will be of interest to many of them, whilst they may serve as a guide to such manufacturers as contemplate the provision of vehicles for this purpose. The tractor and the traction engine have already become the most important item of the travelling showman's equipment, and, doubtless, the lighter petrol vehicle will become a permanent feature in the higher walks of the entertainment caterer already, as we announced in our columns on the 25th February last, "The Player Company " has found at least one imitator in the shape of a theatrical company which employed, in place of the single vehicle used in the first instance, a single-decked motorbus and a motor lorry constructed by the Maudslay Company. This sincere form of flattery leads us to believe that further developments may be expected.
The schemes of tour to which the motor vehicle is particularly applicable are those which are known in theatrical circles as the "fit-up" tour and the "flying matinee" tour. On both of these, a play or repertory of plays is prepared for presentation at towns where a longer stay than one or two days at a time is not considered desirable : therefore, the incidence of the journey from point to point becomes a very frequent one and, naturally, puts a much heavier strain on the artistes concerned in representing the characters in the plays than is the case where a stay of a week or more in a city is the usual thing, and this applies still more strongly to those hard-worked individuals, the stage-manager and his assistants, the carpenter and the baggage-man.
The work involved in a " fit-up " tour commences, of course, with the rehearsals of the play and the preparation and painting of the necessary scenery and properties, and the making of the artistes' costumes. These operations may occupy a month's time, after which, everything being in readiness, a start is made " on the road." In arranging a tour of this kind, the manager of the company will, as a rule, use every endeavour to secure eonsecutive " bookings " at towns which are at no great distance from each other, and, in the case of the " fit-up " tour, this is generally a matter of no great difficulty ; but, even when a run of only twenty miles is necessary, there are other considerations which are of still-greater importance than the actual mileage to be covered. The first of these is the time necessary for takine down and fitting up the star, for, in this connection, it must be remembered that it is not merely a case of transporting the artistes from the one theatre to the other, arriving in time to dress and " make-up," hut there are the stage, the proscenium, the scenery and the gas or electric fittings to be built into place before the performances can be given. In order to make such a tour possible, sufficient time must be found for the stage staff to carry out this work the daily routine is as follows, where one has to depend upon the railway for travelling facilities.
Immediately upon the conclusion of the evening's performance, as soon as the audience has left the auditorium the staff must set to work to dismantle the stage. This means that all lighting arrangements must be taken to the scenery must be " struck," the proscenium removed, and the " act drop," and " cloths " must be rolled up. Meanwhile, the artistes have to change, and all the costumes and properties have to be put into their respective hampers. The whole being in order, it must. then be packed on waiting lorries and conveyed to the railway station ; there it must be taken off the lorry and again packed into a covered truck, ready for the morning's journey. By the time all this is done, it will be readily understood, the night will he far advanced, and the unremitting care of the stage-manager, in preventing the loss of important components of the outfit, will be necessary, in all probability, until the clock has struck " one," or even to a later hour of the early morning.
The next trouble with which one has to contend is the railway time-table. A start betimes in the morning is imperative, and, in the case of small towns, where there are but three or four trains per day, it is quite a common thing to find that everyone must be at the station at 0 or 7 a.m. Although there • are many early risers amongst those engaged in the engineering world, we are sure they will concede that they are not ker,t so late at work as those who provide many an evening's entertainment, and that the artistes and the stage staff are justified in desiring a fair night's rest. In this respect, the motorbus—when used—is a helpful factor.
On arrival at the next town, there is, firstly, the conveyance of the impedimenta from the station to the theatre; secondly, its erection in place; the ertistes must also find living accommodation and food: time is necessary' for all. The actor's life is often described as a " lazy " one: surely, these must be considered "busy " days? The fact that, when a performance is announced for a certain hour, the public cannot be kept waiting or be disappointed in any way, renders "rush " work an oft-recurring necessity, and adds greatly to the difficulty
of presenting a " finished " production. In many in stances, where the railway is used, it is found impossible to get all the scenery on the stage in time, and this, of course, is very injurious to the " show " as a whole.
From the foregoing remarks, it will be clearly seen that the railway, as a means of transport, leaves much to be desired, and that some method of express transit of the company and its effects is a real need. The motorbus, as has been amply demonstrated in the case with which we have been dealing, fulfils the want. At the outset, it will be noted that the use of lorries from theatre to station and vice versa is avoided when the motorbus is employed for the direct run ; several packings and unpackings are rendered unnecessary, the heavy charges for cartage need no longer be incurred. The effects may be left in place at the theatre after the performance, while the staff can have the extra hours for rest : it was found, by the manager of " The Player Company," that the time saved on the journeys made it quite easy to " strike " and pack the scenery and effects on the top of the motorbus in the morning, a couple of hours' work only being required before the artistes boarded the bus at ten o'clock. Starting on the run at this hour, even when a journey of 40 miles had to be done, everything was ready for unloading at the stage door of the theatre by the luncheon hour, giving plenty of time to the staff to fit things up in comfort, and to have a good meal (usually an unknown quantity, in other circumstances) before the performance,
during which, of course, its services are required for the shifting of the scenery, the control of the lighting, the " act-drop," and so forth.
In addition to the saving of fatigue to the artistes, there is the reduction in the wear and tear to the scenery, which may become a serious charge, through the constant and severe handling it receives. Added to the above advantages, there is the advertisement value of the motorbus. A considerable amount of space is available for posters on the sides, the front, and the back ; transparent bills can be used in the windows and can be illuminated at night by the interior lights of the bus.
The enjoyment afforded by such journeys in fine weather on the top of a motorbus to all those concerned in the tour is, possibly, a point which need not be introduced, but which is, nevertheless, an additional aid to harmony and art amongst the company. Incidentally, the artistes engaged are saved considerable expense in the matter of the cartage of their private baggage and in their own conveyance to the railway stations, as the bus can be sent round to their rooms each morning to take them on board.
Finally, as regards costs, these may be put down as practically equal to those incurred in railway travelling, but the great advantages enumerated above go to make the motor vehicle the ideal conveyance for theatrical touring in the " smalls," as the smaller towns of the Provinces are known to theatrical entrepreneurs.