Skilled workers are quite valuable. Local 15 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees dispatches stagehands to jobs. Union membership is not required until someone has completed 750 hours of paid work, said Jerry Crangi, financial secretary-treasurer. As stagehands acquire more skills, they face tests if they want to move up in rank. Workers are placed on hiring lists from which crews are drawn for specific jobs, depending on the size of the production.
More experienced workers lead the list, then work filters down to the least-experienced.
Many union members are free-lance carpenters, welders and movie projectionists who are not limited to theater venues. One way to break into the business is to volunteer at community theaters, then move into professional theater. When the need arose for other positions in the theater, I had enough experience just by watching and helping, so I was able to jump to those areas. I started spending more time in the theater than in the classroom. I actually started working for my school district as events supervisor, and I ran sound and lights for groups coming in.