: As a teenager, Jamie Brown managed the costumes for her school productions and even won awards at student costuming competitions. But she didn’t think she could make costuming her career until she saw “Wicked” at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
Friday, November 12, 2021
Hollywood Pantages wardrobe workers campaign for equal pay
Los Angeles Times
: As a teenager, Jamie Brown managed the costumes for her school productions and even won awards at student costuming competitions. But she didn’t think she could make costuming her career until she saw “Wicked” at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
: As a teenager, Jamie Brown managed the costumes for her school productions and even won awards at student costuming competitions. But she didn’t think she could make costuming her career until she saw “Wicked” at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre.
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3 comments:
This pay disparity is so much larger than I would have guessed. Besides the general understanding that theatre workers are underpaid, it is extra disappointing to see these differences between different departments. And being fresh out of my first day of tech, I'm reminded once again of the absolute necessity for each and every department and crew member. Theatre requires all these different branches to survive, let alone thrive, and we need to be on the same page. I hope individuals in other positions at the Pantages come out to support the members of the wardrobe crew. I was lucky enough to see a production at this venue and it is absolutely massive. It feels more like an arena. I'm sure all the employees, especially Jamie Brown who has pursued this since high school, do well beyond what they're recognized for. The least the theatre could do is pay them adequately.
The pay disparity between different departments in theatre is really weird especially considering how necessary each and every department is for a theatre to even think about functioning. The pay disparity really illustrates two things, production companies don’t care about their worker’s wellbeing, and production companies have a vested interest in staying ignorant about what is needed in production. Production companies want these departments to be treated like an arena in which the “best person” gets paid the most. This mindset is what can tear theatre apart because live theatre is a very collaborative process. If every individual person is not valued and taken care of, the process behind the art ruins the meaning of the art. Even if the piece doesn’t have any deep meaning, treating workers poorly undermines the industry as a whole and hurts people in the long run. This is why we cant afford to have pay inequality in theatre and still call ourselves a good industry.
I didn’t realize that the pay disparity was that big at some theaters. I too remember the moment when I was in high school, doing stage management, and I realized that I could make it a career. It was unfortunate, after the rush and excitement over the years of education, to learn about the unfortunately low pay-rate that is given to stage managers at most levels of production in this country. To learn that the “stipend” ends up being less than the national minimum wage was a huge blow. I image it would be an even bigger blow to learn that those working on the same production as you are getting paid significantly more. Wardrobe crew deserves more pay. They often spend more during the run than anyone else, when laundry is taken into consideration. I am glad that they are bringing this into consideration. The pay disparity in this industry in general is absolutely ridiculous compared to the number of hours that people are expected to work. I hope that things can change for all departments over the years. I worry that if things don’t, theatre will start dying away.
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