During the heyday of touring, one-night engagements in relatively small population centers represented the drudgery of the profession, for it meant drayage and setup for only one performance, often with not even a night at a hotel, if the train schedule accommodated departure after the final curtain. Yet even stars like Edwin Booth included some one-night stands in their itineraries on the jumps between longer engagements.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.