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Monday, March 31, 2025
IATSE Urges Against Kennedy Center Cancellations, Citing Removal Of “Critical Opportunities” For Crew
www.yahoo.com/news: Amid a string of recent show cancellations at the Kennedy Center, the union that represents its crew is attempting to shine a light on the negative impact such moves can have on those behind-the-scenes workers.
5 comments:
Reigh Wilson
said...
I feel as though this is an extremely interesting and nuanced conversation. So much of theater history has come from and through activism and standing up for what you believe in, and going against people and things you do not. As well as the idea of striking within our industry to attempt to make yourself heard. That is what these cancellations at the Kennedy Center feel like, a strike from the artists who are not willing to compromise their values for the event. Though, I think it is important that the organization did not seek new management, it was forced upon them. And the people who live in DC who originally bought tickets wanted to see the show shouldn’t be punished because of things outside of their control. I also think that if these events are getting cancelled the crew should be getting compensated in some capacity since they should’ve had this job that would lead to more experience within the field and company.
This, honestly, is such a hard thing. It is a situation where nothing is right. I fully understand IATSE standpoint that “canceling performances hurts more than it helps”, but I also fully understand the decision to cancel shows in protest. I truly do believe that canceling the shows was the right thing to do, it makes a stand that goes beyond mere words and actually DOES something. But I am also conflicted because it does hurt so many stage employees who are working. The same thing was a problem with the recent strikes in LA, and unfortunately, there really is no way to avoid this. I hate to sound like I’m saying “It sucks but deal with it”, and I understand my privilege in viewing this from an outside perspective. It just feels sometimes like there is no “right” left in this world. I also wonder what could be done to support these stage employees that are losing their jobs, as it seems this article presents no solution or compromise short of just not canceling the shows. I do think that the productions should have had more foresight and found a way to support these employees, and I wonder what can be done now.
The lack of awareness for the pure amount of people that are a part of each singular production will always be a problem in the entertainment industry. When people go to the movies their mouths will always drop when they see the miles long credits with millions of names. I would attest that in theater the list shortens a little but due to the collaborative nature of theater so many hands will touch a specific show. I also think that the celebrity fame that many actors experience greatly decreased the general population's worry for cancellations such as are happening at the Kennedy Center. Many people will only see the actors sort them into the rich and famous category that many others live in and completely forget about the people that got them on the stage. They will even forget that actors need people such as agents almost no matter their size. Overall cancellations are bad not just because they limit the outreach of art but because they take away opportunities for working people who find themselves in the theater industry.
It’s horrible to see this crew losing opportunities from no fault of their own. I can’t even say I completely agree with the show cancellations at the Kennedy Center. It seems to me that cancelling the shows just forwards the current administration’s vendetta against arts and culture as a whole rather than rebuking it. You don’t protest by shutting the fuck up. One of the things that has been the most infuriating to me about the current political moment are the people and organizations who obey by choice and not by force—the hospital systems who have halted gender affirming care even though the EO is on hold (including UPMC!), the corporations who have cut their DEI programs without even needing to be told to, the White Lotus storyline about queer people that got cut because of a “political vibe shift.” The administration wants art to vanish. Why are we doing their job for them?????
This is something that takes more careful consideration than a short article like this can. Trump has put so many people through such hard ship is such an incredibly short span of time that at this point it’s got to be some kind of record. It’s not a surprise that shows have been being canceled, it’s incredibly hard to keep a show afloat right now. Material prices were already up and with the new tariffs they’ve gone absolutely through the roof. Most theatres operate on very thin margins just making enough to cover the show and continue for the next one. Most theatres aren’t broadway. So when shows start getting cancelled because of lack of funds it makes sense. I don’t have a solution that would work because at the moment people are losing work and the theatres are losing revenue all while having to pay more for everything they need.
5 comments:
I feel as though this is an extremely interesting and nuanced conversation. So much of theater history has come from and through activism and standing up for what you believe in, and going against people and things you do not. As well as the idea of striking within our industry to attempt to make yourself heard. That is what these cancellations at the Kennedy Center feel like, a strike from the artists who are not willing to compromise their values for the event. Though, I think it is important that the organization did not seek new management, it was forced upon them. And the people who live in DC who originally bought tickets wanted to see the show shouldn’t be punished because of things outside of their control. I also think that if these events are getting cancelled the crew should be getting compensated in some capacity since they should’ve had this job that would lead to more experience within the field and company.
This, honestly, is such a hard thing. It is a situation where nothing is right. I fully understand IATSE standpoint that “canceling performances hurts more than it helps”, but I also fully understand the decision to cancel shows in protest. I truly do believe that canceling the shows was the right thing to do, it makes a stand that goes beyond mere words and actually DOES something. But I am also conflicted because it does hurt so many stage employees who are working. The same thing was a problem with the recent strikes in LA, and unfortunately, there really is no way to avoid this. I hate to sound like I’m saying “It sucks but deal with it”, and I understand my privilege in viewing this from an outside perspective. It just feels sometimes like there is no “right” left in this world. I also wonder what could be done to support these stage employees that are losing their jobs, as it seems this article presents no solution or compromise short of just not canceling the shows. I do think that the productions should have had more foresight and found a way to support these employees, and I wonder what can be done now.
The lack of awareness for the pure amount of people that are a part of each singular production will always be a problem in the entertainment industry. When people go to the movies their mouths will always drop when they see the miles long credits with millions of names. I would attest that in theater the list shortens a little but due to the collaborative nature of theater so many hands will touch a specific show. I also think that the celebrity fame that many actors experience greatly decreased the general population's worry for cancellations such as are happening at the Kennedy Center. Many people will only see the actors sort them into the rich and famous category that many others live in and completely forget about the people that got them on the stage. They will even forget that actors need people such as agents almost no matter their size. Overall cancellations are bad not just because they limit the outreach of art but because they take away opportunities for working people who find themselves in the theater industry.
It’s horrible to see this crew losing opportunities from no fault of their own. I can’t even say I completely agree with the show cancellations at the Kennedy Center. It seems to me that cancelling the shows just forwards the current administration’s vendetta against arts and culture as a whole rather than rebuking it. You don’t protest by shutting the fuck up. One of the things that has been the most infuriating to me about the current political moment are the people and organizations who obey by choice and not by force—the hospital systems who have halted gender affirming care even though the EO is on hold (including UPMC!), the corporations who have cut their DEI programs without even needing to be told to, the White Lotus storyline about queer people that got cut because of a “political vibe shift.” The administration wants art to vanish. Why are we doing their job for them?????
This is something that takes more careful consideration than a short article like this can. Trump has put so many people through such hard ship is such an incredibly short span of time that at this point it’s got to be some kind of record. It’s not a surprise that shows have been being canceled, it’s incredibly hard to keep a show afloat right now. Material prices were already up and with the new tariffs they’ve gone absolutely through the roof. Most theatres operate on very thin margins just making enough to cover the show and continue for the next one. Most theatres aren’t broadway. So when shows start getting cancelled because of lack of funds it makes sense. I don’t have a solution that would work because at the moment people are losing work and the theatres are losing revenue all while having to pay more for everything they need.
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