ENGLISH

Working Backstage: A Cultural History and Ethnography of Technical Theater Labor

By Christin Essin

Book information

Publisher
University of Michigan Press
Year
2021
ISBN
0472074962, 9780472074969
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
10 MB (10730393 bytes)
Pages
286\287
Time added
2021-12-09 02:45:48

Description

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 List of Figures Acknowledgments Part I: Backstage Narratives Prologue Introduction. Shining a Light on Backstage Labor One. Working and Workers in New York City’s Theater Industry Part II: Backstage Histories Two. Commemoration as Union History Three. Stagehands in Black and White Four. Backstage Subjectivities, Work Choreographies, and Production Histories Part III: Backstage Dramaturgies Essay 1. Reading the Rude Mechanicals Essay 2. Dressers Onstage and Dressing Offstage Essay 3. Backstage Ensembles Coda Notes Bibliography Index

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