It can be really big stuff or little stuff. They are on call, no matter how many years of experience they have. It's a way of life. Each day you may do a different thing, for four hours or several weeks. With its many entertainment and cultural venues, Seattle is considered a strong market for stage-related work.
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.