Thursday, September 06, 2007
Stagehands are professionals
Herald Tribune: "Regarding a letter Saturday concerning the use of union stagehands at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall: Whom does the letter writer suggest bring in a show at the Van Wezel?"
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6 comments:
Stagehands are most cretainly professionals, I agree 100% with the response, and frankly would be curious to read the original letter. This is a skilled labor industry, where stagehands are so much more than grunts or manual labor workers. Suggesting that stagehands are unprofessional or unskilled would be like saying, "in order to save money it would be wise to cast the next Broadway musical from middle school theatre departments" the level of training and skill is just not there.
When I read this first I laughed, and then I tried to imagine my friends with no tech theater training trying to hang, and focus lights. Then I laughed even harder. If this job takes no skill then why are we spending the next four years of our lives paying to learn about it? I would be very curious to read the original letter, and then see the writer use a table saw.
original letter
*bitch slap*
I went back to read the editorial that sparked this response, and I don't really see where the author took offense, other than the first author suggesting that Van Wezel could be deunionized for budgeting purposes, and that would result in fewer jobs for the union.
I think the point he should be focusing on is that the hours and the intensity of the work that stagehands in a large roadhouse must commit to are unreasonable. It's not that there aren't non-union stagehands who are just as skilled as those in IA. I've heard tales of many an incompetent union stagehand, usually because his job description is so specific that he has no other skills, or they've somehow been lost in the system.
The point is that for anyone who does not have the power of a union backing them to enforce adequate wages, proper protection, and decent working conditions--without union contracts--being a stagehand within a large organization can be hell.
okay, i read the original letter, and maybe i missed where he insulted the stagehands... 4-6 workers at maximum dollars.. well yeah, it'll cost a lot if all you have is 4-6 people loading in and running a show. and the tax-built comment makes me think that this is a non-profit... whose goal isnt money making...
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