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Comments

• [1] Tom from Upper West Side November 05, 2009 - 11:04AM

  I am a manager of classical artists. About 25 years ago, I was told by the then general manager of Carnegie Hall that the stagehands were so well paid because it was easier just to grant their union's request/demand during contract negotiations AND pass the problem on to the next general manager than to risk a strike and work stopage.

  
  
• [2] Cynthia from long island November 05, 2009 - 02:07PM

  An 80 hour work week and a VERY powerful union!

  
  
• [3] Mark from NYC November 05, 2009 - 02:16PM

  Local 1 is a strong union and they can stop theaters from functioning. I agree that they work long and weird hours. However, as a musician, I've seen stagehands move instruments at many theaters in the city with little regard for the instrument. I'm sure many stagehands are quite skilled at various jobs, but when it comes to actually moving valuable instruments, it seems the majority could stand to learn a thing or two.

  
  
• [4] Steve from Brooklyn November 05, 2009 - 02:17PM

  Is there any nepotism with the carnegie hall stagehands?

  
  
• [5] Noah from Brooklyn November 05, 2009 - 02:22PM

  This is all really a discussion of wages and what are really fair and adequate wages. Though there is the possibility that these stage hands are over payed I think really the vast majority of people are underpaid and a few top earners in our society are over payed. As such it makes this people seem to be making too much when we all make so little in comparison which we are told is not a pittance but middle class.

  
  
• [6] SuzanneNYC from Upper West Side November 05, 2009 - 02:24PM

  Why are you prejudicing people against this 20th C opera by constantly referring to it as "thorny" and implyin that people won't or shouldn't want to hear. This is the music of our time! We can't just live in the past doing relevant or "director driven" productions of the same 19th C warhorses over and over.

  
  
• [7] CBrown from Brooklyn November 05, 2009 - 02:31PM

  I think part of the reason IATSE has so much power in the performance world, as opposed to the various artist groups, is that for the stagehands it really is just their job, and thus are perfectly willing to threaten or even carry out a strike to get their demands, just as most real-world labor unions will.

  With artists, however, there is the assumption that the mere opportunity to practice their art is part of their renumeration. I am a (non-union) stage designer, and once had a producer tell me straight-faced that doing the work itself was 'psychic payment' for the artistic staff. And far too many artists actually buy into this. No stagehand I know considers moving equipment around stage as psychically rewarding.

  
  
• [8] K Salmon from NYC November 05, 2009 - 02:39PM

  According to Wikipedia, Carly Simon's sister, Lucy, is or was married to a man named David Levine.