dovetailed to the split seconds of a stop-watch.

"Therefore it is customary to follow an 'act in One' (See below)
with an act requiring Full Stage. Then after the curtain has
fallen on this act, an act comes on to play in One again. A show
can, of course, start with a full-stage act, and the alternation
process remains the same. Or there may be an act that can open
in One and then go into Full Stage--after having given the stage
hands time to set their scenery--or vice versa, close in One.
Briefly, the whole problem is simply this--acts must be arranged
not only in the order of their interest value, but also according
to their physical demands.

"But there is still another problem the manager must solve. 'Variety'
is vaudeville's paternal name--vaudeville must present a _varied_
bill and a show consisting of names that will tend to have a
box-office appeal. No two acts in a show should be alike. No two
can be permitted to conflict. 'Conflict' is a word that falls with
ominous meaning on a vaudeville performer's or manager's ears,
because it means death to one of the acts and injury to the show
as a whole. If two famous singing 'single' women were placed on
the same bill, very likely there would be odious comparisons--even
though they did not use songs that were alike. And however
interesting each might be, both would lose in interest. And yet,
sometimes we do just this thing--violating a minor rule to win a
great big box-office appeal.

"Part of the many sides of this delicate problem may be seen when
you consider that no two 'single' singing acts should be placed
next each other--although they may not conflict if they are placed