Working backstage : a cultural history and ethnography of technical theater labor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Essin, Christin, author.

Contributor:

Michigan Publishing (University of Michigan), publisher.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Theater--Production and direction.

Theater.

Theaters--Employees.

Theaters.

Stagehands--Labor unions.

Stagehands.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor, Michigan : University of Michigan Press, 2021.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Working Backstage illuminates the work of New York City's theater technicians, shining a light on the essential contributions of unionized stagehands, carpenters, electricians, sound engineers, properties artisans, wardrobe crews, makeup artists, and child guardians. Too-often dismissed or misunderstood as mere functionaries, these technicians are deeply engaged in creative problem-solving and perform collaborative, intricate choreographed work that parallels the performances of actors, singers, and dancers onstage. Although their contributions have fueled the Broadway machine, their contributions have been left out of most theater histories. Theater historian Christin Essin offers clear and evocative descriptions of this invaluable labor, based on her archival research and interviews with more than 100 backstage technicians, members of the New York locals of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. A former theater technician herself, Essin provides readers with an insider's view of the Broadway stage, from the suspended lighting bridge of electricians operating followspots for A Chorus Line; the automation deck where carpenters move the massive scenic towers for Newsies; the makeup process in the dressing room for The Lion King; the offstage wings of Matilda the Musical, where guardians guide child actors to entrances and exits. Working Backstage makes an significant contribution to theater studies and also to labor studies, exploring the politics of the unions that serve backstage professionals, protecting their rights and insuring safe working conditions. Illuminating the history of this typically hidden workforce, the book provides uncommon insights into the business of Broadway and its backstage working relationships among cast and crew members.

Contents:

Part I Backstage Narratives

Introduction Shining a Light on Backstage Labor p. 7

1 Working and Workers in New York City's Theater Industry p. 21

Part II Backstage Histories

2 Commemoration as Union History p. 65

3 Stagehands in Black and White p. 97

4 Backstage Subjectivities, Work Choreographies, and Production Histories p. 124

Part III Backstage Dramaturgies

Essay 1 Reading the Rude Mechanicals p. 157

Essay 2 Dressers Onstage and Dressing Offstage p. 171

Essay 3 Backstage Ensembles p. 188.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-257) and index.

Description based on information from the publisher.

ISBN:

9780472054961

0472054961

9780472074969

0472074962

9780472129263

0472129260

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.