Kapeldiner is a position that existed in the past in cinemas and has survived only in theaters. The word itself is considered partly outdated, since more and more often the employee who performed the functions of a usher is replaced by other people in modern theaters and cinemas, and their positions are called differently, for example, ushers.
Who is the Kapeldin
Kapeldiner is a German word (and it is spelled, kapeldiner), translated it means "chapel employee". Kapeldiners worked in theaters and cinemas. They checked tickets, helped spectators find their seats, cleaned the seats, pulled covers on them, and also often cleaned the hall.
The conductor did not just do his job, he was, if I may say so, the soul of the audience. He was always aware of the program, could answer questions about actors and artists, tell something about productions and films, or help viewers solve their questions.
Kapeldin in the theater
In the past, it was the attendants who were responsible for caring for the theater's musical instruments. Therefore, a number of improvements in the design of musical instruments were created precisely by the bandmen.
In pre-revolutionary Russia, the attendants in theaters were engaged in checking the tickets of visitors, escorting them to the right places, and also monitoring the observance of order in the hall.
The very presence of the attendant created a special atmosphere. Regular visitors knew the kapeldiners by sight and greeted them as if they were good acquaintances.
In the modern world, some theaters still have the function of a conductor, but new concerns have arisen in this position: for example, to ensure that the audience does not use mobile phones during the performance.
Kapeldin at the cinema
Later, cinematographers, who performed approximately the same functions as in the theater, also began to be called chaplains. At the dawn of its emergence, the film industry was positioned as a luxury entertainment, so the presence of a conductor in the hall was very important.
In the old large cinemas in the United States, each cinema hall had one or more of its own conductors.
In US cinemas, the band was once also responsible for dividing the audience into "white" and "color" sections, without allowing them to mix. And in the 50s, during the popularity of horror films, sometimes the band had to dress up in the costumes of monsters and entertain children.
The heyday of the era of cinematographers in cinemas came in the 1920s, and this tradition was especially strong in the United States. But the economic crisis of the 1930s led to the fact that the number of ushers began to be massively reduced, there were fewer and fewer of them, and today there are virtually no ushers in cinemas. Instead, there are ticket inspectors who only check the spectators' availability of tickets.
