Broadway lights dimmed by stagehand strike
by Laura Hedli | Columbia Daily Spectator (Columbia University)
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: News
(U-WIRE) — The marquees may be dark, but Broadway has never had more drama.
Three angry middle-aged women stood outside "Chicago's" Ambassador Theatre Saturday night where curtains were scheduled to go up on Grammy-nominated Brian McKnight as lawyer Billy Flynn. Hailing from Ohio, the theater lovers had spent thousands on airfare and hotel rooms. They had tickets to see five Broadway shows in one weekend. But because of the Local One stagehand strike, they would only be seeing one.
"I sympathize with what they're doing, but it sucks to be me," said Laura, one of the three, a high school teacher who had taken off time from her job to come to New York.
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, Local One, a 3000-member stagehand union, declared a strike on the League of American Theatres and Producers. Their actions were sanctioned by International President Thomas C. Short of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).
"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" was the first show to be affected. Gearing up for the holiday season and catering to family theatergoers, the musical had its first performance scheduled for 11 a.m. But by the time matinee audiences were gathering in midtown, only seven Broadway theater houses remained open.
"It's hard to tell little 5-year-old girls they won't be going to see 'Wicked' today," said an employee at the Gershwin who wished to remain anonymous. "A lot of them start to cry."
Disputes between Local One and the League have been ongoing since late July, but according to a statement posted on IATSE's official Web site, tensions mounted when IATSE President Short was forced to leave the table this past Thursday due to issues involving the Writers Guild strike. He said that because employers of the League were unwilling to compromise with members of the Local One Union's bargaining team upon his departure, he had no choice but to authorize the hold.
Three angry middle-aged women stood outside "Chicago's" Ambassador Theatre Saturday night where curtains were scheduled to go up on Grammy-nominated Brian McKnight as lawyer Billy Flynn. Hailing from Ohio, the theater lovers had spent thousands on airfare and hotel rooms. They had tickets to see five Broadway shows in one weekend. But because of the Local One stagehand strike, they would only be seeing one.
"I sympathize with what they're doing, but it sucks to be me," said Laura, one of the three, a high school teacher who had taken off time from her job to come to New York.
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, Local One, a 3000-member stagehand union, declared a strike on the League of American Theatres and Producers. Their actions were sanctioned by International President Thomas C. Short of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).
"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" was the first show to be affected. Gearing up for the holiday season and catering to family theatergoers, the musical had its first performance scheduled for 11 a.m. But by the time matinee audiences were gathering in midtown, only seven Broadway theater houses remained open.
"It's hard to tell little 5-year-old girls they won't be going to see 'Wicked' today," said an employee at the Gershwin who wished to remain anonymous. "A lot of them start to cry."
Disputes between Local One and the League have been ongoing since late July, but according to a statement posted on IATSE's official Web site, tensions mounted when IATSE President Short was forced to leave the table this past Thursday due to issues involving the Writers Guild strike. He said that because employers of the League were unwilling to compromise with members of the Local One Union's bargaining team upon his departure, he had no choice but to authorize the hold.
Be the first to comment on this story