#Call steward local 251 how to#

The word got out, so we counted heads at the stage door and let in the allowable number of people. вЂњAt Thursday nightвЂ™s cast meeting before our run-thru, a young actor asked, with more than a twinge of worry in her voice, вЂIs there a chance we might not get to do this show?вЂ™ Friday morning, we at CTM made the decision to cancel the run of the show, and by Friday afternoon the governorвЂ™s mandated limit in crowd size was in place. вЂњMy heart broke for all the work that had gone into making this show and getting so close to opening it,вЂќ Sheridan writes in an email.

#Call steward local 251 how to#

The normal concerns of how to make a show go smoothly quickly became overshadowed by the looming possibility that the show would be shut down. She says it was вЂњgut-wrenching and profound.вЂќ Roseann Sheridan, artistic director of ChildrenвЂ™s Theater of Madison, is reeling from the experience of having to cancel the companyвЂ™s ambitious and costly production of Peter Pan.

вЂњWeвЂ™re going to get through this,вЂќ says Bitney. As of March 18, the campaign had raised $3,484 toward a $10,000 goal. They do not receive vacation or sick pay. Justina Vickerman, IATSEвЂ™s call steward, has set up a GoFundMe account to help stagehands in their time of need. вЂњIвЂ™m not super proud of that but thatвЂ™s what itвЂ™s there for - IвЂ™ve been paying for it all my life,вЂќ he says. We were bracing for one of our busiest times.вЂќДЄnd given the current spread of COVID-19 and subsequent cancellations, Bitney wonders whether the stagehandsвЂ™ biggest events, the upcoming Democratic National Convention and Summerfest, will go on as planned.Д«itney, 52, applied for unemployment compensation on March 16. Spring is one of the busiest seasons and itвЂ™s when a lot of the younger stagehands get to take on bigger roles. вЂњThereвЂ™s a lot of younger members living paycheck to paycheck. The sets are still up in Overture Hall and the Capitol Theater.Д«itney, a 30-year veteran, says the economic impact, especially on younger members of the union, which has approximately 200 members, is devastating. At least the kids got to perform for the parents.вЂќ Wicked was in the middle of the run, and we just finished doing the fly cues and doing the final dress rehearsal of Peter Pan. вЂњIвЂ™ve had three different major productions get cut midway through. вЂњItвЂ™s a complete shutdown of what weвЂ™re doing,вЂќ adds Bitney. Bitney was part of stage crews that worked on three enormous shows: the Broadway tour of Wicked, ChildrenвЂ™s Theater of MadisonвЂ™s Peter Pan, and country singer Jason Aldean at the Alliant Energy Center. вЂњI couldnвЂ™t think of a more perfect storm to knock out our industry,вЂќ says Mark Bitney, a union stagehand at Overture and member of IATSE Local 251, the International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employees. Just when the sets were mounted, the world came crashing down. Children's Theater of Madison's production of 'Peter Pan' had to be shut down after its final dress rehearsal.