Broadway approves new contract
2007-12-10 11:51
New York - 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 for 19 days.
'It was an overwhelming ratification," said Bruce Cohen, a spokesperson for Local 1 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
He declined to give an exact count 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."
New productions
The walkout, which began on November 10, closed such hit musicals as Wicked, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Rent, Mamma Mia! and The Phantom of the Opera, as well as delaying the openings of such new productions as August: Osage County, The Seafarer and The Little Mermaid.
It ended on November 28, with productions reopening the following day.
The strike occurred during one of the best times of the year for Broadway, the period around the Thanksgiving holiday.
Box-office losses totalled in the millions of dollars, and theatre-related businesses and personnel suffered.
- AP