NEW YORK – After nearly round-the-clock negotiations at the end of June that lasted into the July 4th holiday weekend, negotiators for the… Read More »IATSE Local One and the Metropolitan Opera Reach a Tentative Agreement Paving the Way for Opera Season to Begin – If Contract is Ratified by the Union’s Membership
Last month the Society of Properties Artisan Managers (S*P*A*M) held its annual officer elections. Stage Directions sends its congratulations and welcomes S*P*A*M’s new officers—Jeffery Bazemore as President, Amy Peter as Treasurer, and Erin Keller as Secretary. The S*P*A*M membership thank former President Jim Guy, Treasurer Patricia Olive, and Secretary and Historian Deb Morgan for their many years of excellent service and dedication to S*P*A*M.
The S*P*A*M elections are usually held at its annual conference in August, but the members voted to hold the election a few months early this year to allow a transition period for the new officers. Amy Peter was elected at the 2020 conference.Read More »The Society of Properties Artisan Managers (S*P*A*M) Elects New Officers
IATSE and the Metropolitan Opera have reached an agreement that will allow the union members to return to work ahead of reopening for the… Read More »IATSE Deal Made With Metropolitan Opera for the 2021/22 Season
NY – In response to ongoing demand, the Behind the Scenes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative has posted new online Mental Health First… Read More »Behind the Scenes Announces Mental Health First Aid Training Classes in August for Entertainment Industry Workers
Actors’ Equity Association, the national union representing more than 51,000 professional stage managers and actors in live theatre, has updated its safety protocols for theatres across the country with fully vaccinated companies, including the lifting of masking and testing mandates. These new guidelines have been significantly streamlined compared to previous versions.Read More »Equity Releases New Streamlined COVID Safety Protocols; AEA and LORT Agreement on Safety Protocols
DAYTON, OHIO —Scenic Solutions LLC is pleased to welcome Veronica R. Bishop as Senior Project Manager. This is a new position for the company. Bishop’s… Read More »Scenic Solutions LLC Hires Veronica R. Bishop as Senior Project Manager
RETURN TO THE STAGE, a study of the impact of COVID-19 on Performing Arts workers, is conducting its third and final survey July 1-14. The study authors of the survey, Meg Friedman and David J. McGraw, note that over 4,700 workers participated in the first two surveys. For this final survey they have added some new questions as venues begin to reopen.
If you worked or volunteered in the Performing Arts in the United States from March 2019 through March 2020, please make your voice heard and participate in this study. To read previous reports and to participate in this final survey, visit www.returntothestage.com. Read More »Return to the Stage Final Survey now open until July 14th
After conducting a thorough national search, the Alliance Theatre is pleased to announce that Shaina Pierce has been chosen as the inaugural Stage Management Fellow for the Alliance Theatre, beginning August 1, 2021, and continuing until the end of its 2021/22 Season. Pierce is a recent graduate of the University of Alabama and has worked with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Cloverdale Playhouse, the Montgomery Ballet, and Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre.
Pierce received her MFA in stage management from The University of Alabama. While at UA, some of her credits included The Merchant of Venice, Intimate Apparel, and Legally Blonde (int. COVID). She has taught and mentored undergraduate stage managers and enjoys learning as much as she does sharing her artistry. Previous credits include Comedy of Errors, Cinderella, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid at The Alabama Shakespeare Festival. She stage-managed The Last Five Years and The Boys Next Door at the Cloverdale Playhouse. She has also worked for the Montgomery Ballet’s The Nutcracker and stage-managed Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre at UA. Pierce has been a part of numerous staged readings as well as zoom recorded readings.Read More »Alliance Theatre Names Shaina Pierce the First Stage Management Fellow
PRIMOS, PA – The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) recently announced the successful completion of their 18th annual charity motorcycle ride, A River Runs Through It. The annual ride, which benefits the Behind the Scenes Charity and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, began and finished in Woodbury, MN June 20-26.
The upcoming virtual North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (NATEAC) will host two sessions that embrace gender issues in the building design industry. Please… Read More »The North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference to address gender issues
June 30, 2021—Present and future students at Yale University’s drama school will no longer pay tuition, thanks to a landmark $150 million gift from entertainment executive and philanthropist David Geffen, the university announced today. The donation—the largest on record in the history of American theater—makes the school the only institution of its kind to eliminate tuition for all degree and certificate students, removing financial barriers to access. In recognition of the gift, Yale School of Drama is now the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University.Read More »Yale’s Drama School Goes Tuition-Free and is renamed David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University
The Santa Fe Opera has appointed Eileen Garcia as its new Properties Director. Garcia had returned earlier this year as the Interim Properties Director to take the place of longtime SFO Properties Director Randy Lutz, who died on January 12, 2021. Stage Directions sends its sincere congratulations to Garcia and look forward to hearing all about her next act!Read More »Eileen Garcia Appointed Properties Director at the Santa Fe Opera