It was a second
day of dark Broadway theaters and disappointed audiences
as striking stagehands reaffirmed their commitment Sunday to
remain off the job until producers started acting
''honorably'' at the negotiating table.
It was a second
day of dark Broadway theaters and disappointed audiences
as striking stagehands reaffirmed their commitment Sunday to
remain off the job until producers started acting
''honorably'' at the negotiating table.
James J. Claffey
Jr., president of Local One, said the League of American
Theatres and Producers needs to make a ''constructive''
adjustment to its counteroffers.
''We want respect
at the table,'' he said at a somber news conference.
''If there's no respect, they will not see Local One at the
table. The lack of respect is something we are not
going to deal with.''
Twenty-seven
shows remained closed Sunday, the day after stagehands went
on strike, shutting down such popular productions as
Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, Jersey
Boys, and Mamma Mia!
Among the shows
canceled Sunday was a gala 10-year anniversary
performance of The Lion King, although a party
celebrating the Disney musical's decade-long run was still
being held.
Producers of
August: Osage County, a play by Tracy Letts
from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, said they may
postpone its scheduled November 20 opening. And the
producers have offered to pay for the cast members'
return to Chicago during the work stoppage.
Pickets again
walked quietly in front of the struck theaters around Times
Square, and few pedestrians were seen on normally crowded
side streets in the area.
Eight shows,
which have separate contracts with the union, remained open
and did strong, often sold-out business on Saturday, a
two-performance day. Among the attractions still
running are Young Frankenstein, Mary Poppins,
Xanadu, and The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee, as well as four shows -- Pygmalion,
The Ritz, Mauritius, and Cymbeline -- playing
at nonprofit theaters.
The same-day
discount tickets booths in Times Square and at the South
Street Seaport remained open, serving the Broadway shows
unaffected by the walkout as well as all off-Broadway
productions, which were up and running.
On Sunday, there
were lines at the Times Square location, but it was not
as crowded as usual. A sign noted that there were no
Broadway shows available and suggested off-Broadway
options.
Perry Welch, in
town from Seattle, was in line hoping to get tickets to
The Fantasticks or I Love You, You're
Perfect, Now Change.
''We had tickets
for Rent, [but] that's not going to happen,''
he said.
No new
negotiations have been scheduled between the union and the
league, and resumption of talks appears uncertain.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg again offered his assistance
on Sunday, saying ''the city will do everything it can
to help [reach an agreement].''
But both sides
are standing firm.
''We're fighting
for our lives,'' Claffey said at the news conference.
''We're fighting for the people out there, the middle class
-- a middle-class job we're trying to protect.''
On Saturday,
Charlotte St. Martin, the league's executive director,
charged, ''The union chose to strike -- without notifying us
-- rather than to continue negotiations. But our
members are united in their commitment to achieving a
fair contract. Our goal is simple: to pay for workers
we need and for work that is actually performed.''
The two sides
have been involved in lengthy, tense negotiations since
last summer. Much of their disagreement involves work rules
and staffing requirements, particularly rules
governing the expensive process of loading in and
setting up a show. The producers want more flexibility in
hiring; the stagehands don't want to give up what they say
are hard-won benefits without something in return.
Claffey has
enlisted the support of other theatrical unions, including
those representing musicians and actors.
Said John
Connolly, head of Actors' Equity Association: ''We regret
these theaters are closed. We are sorry we are not
where we want to be: onstage, entertaining our
audiences. That's what we do, that's what we live for.
We didn't shut the theaters. We didn't make $100 ticket
prices. We did not say it is our mission to refashion
the economics of the theater industry. The employers
did that.'' (AP)
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