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ArchiveJuly 17, 2026Rookie
Case File · Audit · No. 023

Daily Casefile · Audit

The Gilded Seat Count at the Grand Lyric

4 min

The Grand Lyric Opera House has submitted its weekly box-office reconciliation sheet to the Touring Companies Syndicate for the week ending Saturday, 12 April 1913, claiming a proportional share of gross receipts to cover the house's guaranteed minimum fee. The Syndicate pays the house a fixed percentage of declared gross takings, giving the Treasurer a direct incentive to overstate either attendance or ticket prices. The Syndicate's auditor has been asked to verify each line of the reconciliation against the independent records held by the box-office register, the printer's invoice for programmes, the surveyor's seating capacity certificate, and a letter from the touring company's manager. Identify which line of Mr. Quell's reconciliation is inconsistent with the supporting records, and name the record that reveals the discrepancy.

The scene

Grand Lyric Opera House, Milan-style touring company residency, London, England, 1913

Source documents

  • London County Council Seating Capacity Certificate, Grand Lyric Opera House
  • Grand Lyric Box-Office Daily Register, Week of 7–12 April 1913
  • Printer's Invoice — Harker & Fenn, Theatrical Printers, Covent Garden
  • Letter from Signor Carlo Venturini, Manager, Compagnia Lirica Italiana del Nord, to the Touring Companies Syndicate

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This case first aired on July 17, 2026. A fresh audit runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.