Broadway
stagehands on Sunday approved a new contract with producers,
nearly two weeks after the end of a strike that shut down
more than two dozen Broadway shows.
'It was an
overwhelming ratification,'' said Bruce Cohen, a spokesman
for Local 1 of the International Alliance of
Theatrical Stage Employees. He declined to give an
exact tally of the vote.
''We are pleased
that Local 1 has ratified the contract,'' said Charlotte
St. Martin, executive director of the League of American
Theatres and Producers. ''Come and see a show this
season.''
The 19-day
walkout began November 10, closing such hit musicals as
Wicked, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Rent, Mamma
Mia! and The Phantom of the Opera. It also
delayed the openings of such new productions as August:
Osage County, The Seafarer, and The Little Mermaid.
The strike ended
November 28, with productions reopening the following
day.
It occurred
during what is normally one of the best times of the year
for Broadway, the period around the Thanksgiving
holiday. Box office losses totaled in the millions,
and theater-related businesses and personnel suffered
as well. (AP)