Victoria's New Theater

On December 29, the last Monday in this month, the new Victoria Theatre will be completed and be formally opened as a permanent place of entertainment and amusement

The Victoria Theatre will be one of the finest playhouses in America, west of New York and beyond all question the finest in Canada. It will be a civic assets, the value of which, directly and indirectly, cannot be computed. The Theatre is not a private enterprise undertaken for private profit, but is the people's playhouse, owned by the people, and to be operated by the people, absolutely free from control by theatrical trusts.

This the cost of this handsome, spacious and perfectly equipped theatre will be nearly $400,000, a very large sum, but one quite in keeping with the needs of Greater Victoria and its progressive spirit. Our people not only demand the best that can be presented in the way of entertainment, but they demand also that it shall be given under the most favorable conditions possible. The object of the Directors of the Victoria Opera House Company, Ltd., has been to meet the wishes of the public in this respect, and they are confident that, when the doors of the new structure have been thrown open, the universal verdict will be that they have been completely successful. No argument will be required to convince anyone that the Theatre is well worth its cost.

Of this sum of $400,000 the public have as yet contributed less than one half. There are 78 shareholders in the Company, and they have either paid or become responsible for approximately $180,000. The remainder of the sum necessary to complete the work has been bore owed on the personal security of several members of the Board of Directors. This is a heavy burden for a few private individuals to assume in order that the public may be provided with a Theatre that will be a source of general pride in pleasure to the whole community. Hitherto subscriptions for shares in the Company have only been invited from persons, known to the Directors, who might feel disposed to take a considerable number; but in order that, when the doors are opened, a sufficient issue of shares may be taken to meet the whole cost, and that the enterprise shall not be handicapped by a heavy liability to a few of the Directors, a decision has been arrived at to invite popular subscriptions.

The Directors do not wish to be understood as guaranteeing that the investment will be a profitable one. There are basing this appeal upon what they believe the community will recognize as a reasonable ground, namely, that the burden of providing a first-class playhouse for the benefit of all should not be allowed to rest upon a few: nevertheless, they think they can safely say that the experience of other investments of the kind justifies the expectation that the shares of the Company will yield during the first two years 4 percent, and probably a much higher dividend thereafter. It is only write to add that the promoters of this undertaking have never had prospective profits in mind, but have been actuated solely by what seemed to them to be a duty to the community, and it is upon this ground that the appeal with confidence to the public at large to come forward and make it possible that when the curtain rises upon the night of December 29, the announcement can be made that every dollar of the cost of the Theatre has been paid or guaranteed by public subscription.

In order to accomplish this result, the following plan has been adopted;

The opening play will be the great drama, "Kismet," to be produced by Mr. Otis Skinner and his company of 160 players, which will be presented four times -- three evening performances and the matinée. The price for the lower floor and first few rows of the balcony will be $3.00 a seat. The box office sale will not begin until December 19. The demand for seats is already very large, and the house might even now have been sold out, but the Directors have decided that there shall be no sales in advance of the 19th inst.; but applications for seats will be received at any time, be numbered consecutively has received, and be allotted accordingly. If more applications are received than can be filled by first night tickets, second night tickets will be provided, and so on, the Directors being confident that the four performances will enable all who wish to see this remarkable play and participate in the opening of this splendid playhouse at an entertainment that will mark a new era in the theatrical history of Victoria, and be an event that will long be remembered.

The Directors invite each purchaser of a ticket to subscribe and pay for at least one share of the capital stock of the Victoria Opera House Company, Ltd., the price of which, fully paid up and hence entailing no further liability, is $5.00.

To insure the comfort of its patrons, the seating capacity of the Theatre has been scaled down to 1650. Had the standard chairs being used, the capacity would have been 1750, but, after examining many samples, the Directors decided upon a specially made seat, 6 inches wider than the ordinary chair and with 6 inches more space between the rows. This change entailed an extra cost of $10, 000, and has reduced the earning capacity of the house for a single performance, but the additional comfort will make it so much more attractive that the receipts will, in the long run, not be lessened thereby.

There are, therefore, 1650 seats for sale for four performances, making 6600 seats in all. If each person, who buys a ticket, buys also one share of the capital stock of the Company, the results will be:

6,600 Shares at $5.00 each..........................................$33,000

At 2 Shares to each ticket ............................................66,600

At 3 Shares to each ticket ............................................99,900

At 4 Shares to each ticket ...........................................132,200

At 5 Shares to each ticket ...........................................166,500

At 6 Shares to each ticket ...........................................199,800

This little table shows how the money needed can be provided, it patrons of the Theatre are willing. The Directors do not expect each purchaser of one or more tickets will feel able to buy a share for each ticket, but they hope that most of them will buy at least one share, and that many of them will buy several shares. Applications already received show an average of nearly seven shares per ticket.

The Directors realize that there must be many persons in the community who are able and willing to subscribe liberally for shares in the Company, but whom they have not been able to me personally. The newcomers have been so numerous that the Directors could not possibly get in touch with them all. They therefore express hope that all such persons will regard this as a personal appeal to them to come forward and take part in an undertaking which means so much to the community.

Remittances for seats are shares by mail should be by cheque, payable to Mr. Simon Leiser. Applicants for seats will please state for what night they require them, and if they wish the money refunded encased seats for that night are not available.

The Directors wish it to be understood that applications for seats only will be treated just the same as if they were for both seats and shares. It is hardly necessary to add that they will gladly received applications for shares unaccompanied by orders for seats, but they would prefer to see every shareholder in the Company present at one or the other of the opening performances.

The Directors think it only fair to add that in the cost of the Theatre there is not included anything what ever for salaries, commissions or any remuneration or profit of any kind, directly or indirectly, to themselves or to any shareholder of the Company, except that the Secretary of the Company, who is also a shareholder, as for the two years in which to project has been in hand, received $50 per month, for his services, and the use of his office. They have given their time and energy freely, expecting no profit except what will be shared with the other shareholders, and no other reward than that which will come from what they believe has been the discharge of a public duty to the community in the progress and standing of which they are deeply interested.

VICTORIA, DECEMBER 6, 1913