Saturday, August 23, 2014
Behind every great performer is an even greater stagehand
Chicago Federation of Labor: The men of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union, Local 2 are tough union guys. Just as tough as a road or steel worker crew.
“I don't know any other job where 24 semis worth of stuff comes in at eight a.m., you set it up by four p.m., and have it loaded back on the trucks at two a.m.,” said Christopher Iovino, union steward for Local 2.
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4 comments:
Going in i expected the article to be more about the performers interaction with the stagehands but was pleasantly surprised. To me the whole concept of the article is that you have a job to do and that means getting it done no matter what. In addition, that if you have a good crew of people to work with it makes doing the job easier. Getting the chance to work with people who have been doing the same type of job is a great opportunity and getting the chance to be a new guy teaching the old dog new tricks is pretty cool. People who are not in the theater world do not get to see all the hard work that goes into putting a show together. The people who do that work should be valued.
I appreciate how this article recognizes the union workers for the hard work they put in by giving examples of how they persevere rather than examples of how well the show went. The perseverance examples show what they go through to make a great performance more effectively than examples of well shows go. We always expect shows to run smoothly but don't really expect to see IATSE guys bringing cots to work in order to be effective. All in all, this article was enlightened me to how hard the IATSE men really work to make what we see happen.
Like what my classmates have already said I'm glad that they are recognizing the union workers for their hard work. I think it really stinks when companies don't hire union workers just because they tend to be more expensive and usually those companies are big ones that can totally afford it! (I've seen it happen more than once.)
I also really like how the article talks about how the guys in the local 2 union interact. I think it's really great that they learn from each other and the older members learn from and teach the younger members tricks of the trade. I think it's really great when a team can work like that, it's a lot more efficient and a more work friendly environment (I couldn't find the right word for it).
And kudos to them. I always found it amazing how they would set the stage up for a concert in less that 12 hours and then strike it right after the show. I don't think people know how much work goes into this type of entertainment and I'm glad that the IATSE guys are getting the recognition!
The article was not at all what I expected, I thought it would be all about how the performers couldnt do what they do without what we do. I find it interesting how they place real emphasis on how dedicated the people are. While, yes, young and inexperienced, from the two union arena ins and outs that I have worked, it was a different story. On the local 3 calls, it seemed like the union labor did what they were told, but the people really working their butts of were the road crew.
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