tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547Mon, 07 Oct 2024 05:32:35 +0000IATSEStagehandunionLocal OneBroadwayClass StruggleLeague of American Theatres and ProducersTheatreCorporate Media Ownership2008 ElectionEquityReligious RightglobalizationtelevisionRoadieswift boatingHuckabeeMcCainNot For ProfitHollywoodObamaOff- BroadwaySafetyDARPADiCaprioLEDProject CensuredReligionVari-LitesWGAWhole HogYankeesorganizingtempsActors ChapelCarajoyColor KineticsDL.2Danger RoomEleventh HourFAIRFathers and SonsFreelancers UnionGeorge WallaceHigh End SystemsJonathan TischLoews HotelMTVNational Endowment for the ArtsPlaygoerPopePyroSAGSamnickShowgunSolarStrandUrban ChallengeVarietyViacomWalmartopiaWiredOne Stagehand's view of things. With over thirty years of experience of working in NYC as a stagehand, I'm just another old geezer who spends a great deal of time in the dark.http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)Blogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-478353959191889175Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:56:00 +00002009-08-10T10:59:02.300-04:00Class StruggleCorporate Media OwnershipglobalizationIATSELocal OneReligious RightunionOkay, okay. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. I was real tempted to spout off when the Feds indicted some Carpenters for embezzlement, bribery, wire fraud on the same day that Garth Drabinsky started his 7 years of research on a musical version of “The Big House.” It was certainly an karmic rich environment with Drabinsky’s attorney (or “mouthpiece” as Darth is learning) http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/08/rage-rage-against-dying-of-light.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-5771860888522108496Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:56:00 +00002009-07-04T11:57:41.395-04:00Thank You For Your Patience.http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/07/our-program-will-return-shortly.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-7504504285100306164Sat, 23 May 2009 23:34:00 +00002009-05-23T22:19:23.614-04:00BroadwayClass StruggleIATSELeague of American Theatres and ProducersLocal OneStagehandTheatreunionThe NY Times reports that during a time of deepening economic crisis, The Broadway League imposed an unannounced $1 a ticket surcharge on the tickets sold at TKTS. TKTS is the ticket outlet for discount tickets sold by the Theatre Development Fund, the not-for-profit that was established to aid in the promotion of the performing arts in NYC. The League, which has decried anything that would http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/05/pushcart-takes-hit.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-5082149956279945313Wed, 20 May 2009 21:21:00 +00002009-05-20T17:55:58.205-04:00Class StruggleCorporate Media OwnershipIATSEStagehandswift boatingDoes anyone else see a similarity between the uproar over Nancy Pelosi and scenery? Not to make light of the suffering these human beings were put through but it seems to me that blaming Nancy Pelosi for the torture scandal is like blaming the closing of a show on the scenery. Both were in the background, neither were strutting and fretting his hour upon the stage. She didn't write the play, casthttp://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/05/it-is-tale-told-by-idiot-full-of-sound.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-1241890525425761938Thu, 14 May 2009 14:56:00 +00002009-05-14T11:02:05.740-04:00The performing arts unions have created a web ad supporting the Employee Free Choice Act. Artists For Workers ChoiceThe Stars Come Out in Support of Employee Free Choice Actwww.artists4workerschoice.orgThe stars of stage and screen—actors, musicians, Broadway performers, comedians, writers and crew—are coming out in support of the Employee Free Choice Act through a new online video called “http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/05/artists-for-workers-choice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-8901576539003504829Wed, 13 May 2009 03:49:00 +00002009-05-13T07:49:03.300-04:00Class StruggleLocal OneRoadieStagehandunionSo The Associated Students of the University of Arizona (ASUA) decided that a nice little concert would be fun. They even had a cute little name for it. Last Smash Platinum Bash. Since the Kanye West "Glow in the Dark Tour," packed the McKale Center's 14,545 seats with 9000 ticket buyers, the President of the University, Tommy Bruce, decided to make it a "top priority during his second term tohttp://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/05/wheres-adult-supervision.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-8136217755675305123Wed, 06 May 2009 00:26:00 +00002009-05-05T22:20:50.814-04:00DiCaprioHollywoodIATSENot For ProfitunionSometimes these posts write themselves. I've been playing with the gizmos on the side of the posts while trying to get this internets thing figured out. I was going to get rid of the "News Stagehands Can Use", a Google search for IATSE, when these two items pop up. The first reminds me of my earlier DiCaprio post and with the other, well, words fail me. In this Tales from the Trenches column inhttp://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/05/ill-gladly-pay-you-tuesday.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-6834400353824747093Sun, 03 May 2009 02:13:00 +00002009-05-02T23:32:28.637-04:00Class StruggleCorporate Media OwnershipIATSEunionFor the first time in a number of years, May Day celebrations in Europe turned into riots. The loss of their standard of living, rising unemployment and lost benefits were the cause of the large May Day turnout. In the US, we, as workers, don't need to espouse any alternative types of economic systems because everything is just going just great. In fact, in the US we don't celebrate May Day http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/05/beware-people-weeping.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-1481898280978780305Fri, 01 May 2009 03:04:00 +00002009-04-30T23:13:17.534-04:00While it's a construction accident, we'll all probably recognise it's nature. So The Boss Said "It Will Be Fine, Don't Worry"Description: Plaintiff's Construction Liability and Safety Expert Timothy G. Galarnyk of Construction Risk Management, Inc. concluded that Gibbs Construction Services and LeClaire Hotel Group flagrantly violated OSHA regulations by constructing a wooden box and placing thishttp://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/04/stupid-things-local-crew-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-5951276850174201999Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:11:00 +00002009-04-28T22:34:35.420-04:00IATSELocal OneRoadieStagehandRoad guys talk about the local crews on a site just for them. It's educational and good to see yourself through others eyes. I can't say I like it but it's real.I know I'm in for a bad night of mixing when the house sound says "Yeah, it's an acoustically perfect room!". Perfect for what, I wonder? Not for a live show, that's for sure.A local rigger on a show call for a tour I was on blew me off http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/04/stupid-things-said-by-house-crew.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-6687719329641042581Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:30:00 +00002009-04-28T10:28:32.913-04:00BroadwayIATSELocal OneNot For ProfitStagehandTheatreunion"The best test of a civilized society is the way in which it treats its most vulnerable and weakest members. "

Mahatma Gandhi One of the main talking points of the Broadway League during the run-up to and during the strike in 2007 was that the Local was too inflexible in its rules and resistant to change. The Local replied that we were resistant to job losses and that Local would not change workhttp://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/04/oak-and-willow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-3804674640374164073Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:36:00 +00002009-04-18T17:40:07.169-04:00BroadwayEquityIATSELeague of American Theatres and ProducersLocal OneStagehandunionAnonymous (who seems to be all over the Internet) posted a comment to an off-hand remark I made in “After The Fall” about romancing the Federal Theatre Project. In the comment, Anonymous claims “theater unions were vehemently against its beginning”. I asked for references and he/she referred me to two books. I have not read the books so I can’t judge on how accurate the original works are on the http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-this-time-and-place.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-7549216313882961735Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:11:00 +00002009-04-16T00:38:10.603-04:00BroadwayIATSELeague of American Theatres and ProducersLocal OneStagehandTheatreunionWhat Would Kenneth Tynan Do? In an article in Bloomberg about “Impressionism”, Jeremy Gerard writes a “commentary” (which evidently is a little less than reporting and a little more than opinion) about why “Impressionism” got less than stellar reviews. It was the stagehands. Those damned expensive stagehands. And their damned expensive scenery. Gerard starts by painting sophomore playwright http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/04/wwktd.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-5682305059330129225Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:33:00 +00002009-04-11T19:10:49.102-04:00BroadwayIATSELeague of American Theatres and ProducersNot For ProfitTheatreFor me my blog has become a bit of a microcosm of what life is like for many in the entertainment industry. Ignored during busy times and doted over in idleness. For any of you who have spend days, weeks and months on a project know what it’s like to suddenly start spending a lot more time at home. Corners get cleaned, taxes get paid, dinners are eaten off plates that you have to wash yourself http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/04/double-double-toil-and-trouble.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-6216457981184245634Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +00002009-04-10T08:59:35.547-04:00BroadwayClass StruggleIATSELocal OneStagehandBefore the bankers and brokers coughed up this massive furball of a financial mess, the common wisdom in the theatre was that “people will always need entertainment” and that we were recession proof. There would be shows and music and we would bring a few moments of joy to a suffering public. As long as one never took a long, hard look at our history as an industry, this was comforting. The http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/04/after-fall.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-5154823528221495010Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:36:00 +00002009-01-09T00:06:44.374-05:00BroadwayClass StruggleglobalizationIATSEStagehandtelevisionTheatreunionIn a post back in December I looked at some IATSE history and road scales. Then I found Working Life by the Labor Research Association. Jonathan Tasini had a column about wages not keeping up with productivity or inflation. Since I already had a reference point for IATSE I thought I'd see how we have done. 1917 $45 2008 Adjusted for inflation $759.732008 $30hr or $1200wk is fairly typical http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/01/imagine-sisyphus-happy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-4326040706569720975Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:39:00 +00002009-01-07T22:16:36.137-05:00BroadwayClass StruggleLeague of American Theatres and ProducersStagehandWhat's so funny about an amusement tax?So the Gov wants to tack on 4% to tickets and Hizzoner wants to tack on another 4%. “Everybody's gettin' inta da act!” For this they did away with term limits? This is what happens when you gross close to a Billion a year. A victim of our own success.Why not a luxury tax like baseball has. Figure out what the average ticket price is for each house and thenhttp://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/01/broadway-saves-wall-street.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-5452533051114963590Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:48:00 +00002009-01-03T15:53:47.371-05:00BroadwayClass StruggleCorporate Media OwnershipLeague of American Theatres and ProducersStagehandTheatre Bloomberg has an article that describes the latest feeding frenzy in the shark filled waters of Broadway. Seems that those folks who believe that the arts exist for the sole benefit of themselves, i.e. the Producers, lifted the curtain on a little drama being played out with the party of the second part, i.e. the Theatre Owners, the other folks who believe that the arts exist solely for http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2009/01/mopping-counting-up-room-floor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-1629661850320246608Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:41:00 +00002008-12-28T16:38:55.850-05:00IATSELEDStagehandTheatreVari-LitesThe difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.Check this out. Imagine a lamp for a moving light or follow spot that is smaller than a dime, uses half the power of the current lamp, burns with the brilliance of the sun and gets its power from radio waves. Luxim has introduced a solid state plasma light source that is the step away from LEDs. LIFI™ light sources use a solid-state http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2008/12/from-limelight-to-plasma.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-1115848960248697146Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:09:00 +00002008-12-27T16:41:54.120-05:00IATSELocal OneStagehandunionOne faces the future with one's past. Pearl S. BuckA friend recently lent me his copy of the IATSE convention minutes from the beginning in 1893 to 1926 and I've found them to be great reading. It started when he was telling me about the Clearers Local #390 and Calcium and Electro-Calcium Light Local #35 in NYC. I had never heard of them so I decided to do a little research. The things you find http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2008/12/little-iatse-history.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-5025440766043912977Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:32:00 +00002008-12-20T16:36:48.511-05:002008 ElectionCorporate Media OwnershipProject Censuredswift boatingunionI came across this while watching an AFTRA video about the Employee Free Choice Act and the Chicago NBC/Telemundo organizing effort. I'm sure that when NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, NYT, Chicago Tribune, NY Post and all the rest report Rod Blagojevich's indictment they've have forgotten about his support for organizing within the entertainment industry. Oh wait, here's another one.I'm sure http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2008/12/im-not-saying-im-just-saying.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-1807064279941105900Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:00:00 +00002008-12-20T00:55:46.638-05:00Got into a conversation with another stagehand about personal influences (as opposed to being under the influence which is another frequent topic of conversation) and went online to reference some book titles I vaguely recalled. This lead me back to times and places when I was growing up and the speeches I’ve heard. Obama is such an inspiring speaker and, as such, a terrific actor. I hear echoes http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2008/12/talkin-bout-my-generation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-5767806976016805284Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:43:00 +00002008-12-17T14:02:53.402-05:00Class StruggleCorporate Media OwnershipglobalizationIATSEStagehandtempsThe business is slow right now and there is a lot of fear out there. As workers we’ve been inculcated with fear about our jobs, our future and our status in life since the Reagan administration. The middle class life we knew has moved further and further out of our reach. Rightly or wrongly we measure our self worth by the kind of work we do and when there isn’t any work, we’re diminished. One ofhttp://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2008/12/on-bounce.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-3036788008831894409Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:50:00 +00002008-11-21T21:42:04.084-05:002008 ElectionCorporate Media OwnershipglobalizationtelevisionI’ve been home ill the last few days and have too much time to think about the current financial crisis and my business as our little drama plays out. Not if the television networks will fail but rather the financial crisis as drama, how it’s presented. Suppose your boss said to you if you want to keep your job you need to give up your pension and healthcare. What would your reaction be? You http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2008/11/lies-damned-lies-statistics-and-ratings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016224123782592547.post-3010293509588639084Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:06:00 +00002008-11-09T20:52:07.653-05:002008 ElectionClass StruggleCorporate Media OwnershipObamaWant to know what it's like to be in a television studio for a major news event? Imagine a whirlpool of corporate and political forces. Or black hole, that image will work also. For years and then months, weeks, days and hours, centrifugal forces built from a wide, gentle rotation to an intense tightening of spin. You reach the event horizon where there is not enough energy to reverse course. http://onenycstagehand.blogspot.com/2008/11/opposing-viewpoints.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (One NYC StageHand)1