Stagehand
Stagehand (from English: stage = stage, hand = auxiliary, worker), mostly abbreviated to hand , in German-speaking countries, describes a person who, within the framework of touring concerts or other events, provides the trained event technicians with the construction of a stage and / or the stage technology worked too. Synonymously, the terms reconstruction helpers and stagehands in use, the latter especially in theaters and opera houses in which the expression stagehand is unusual or frowned upon. Since stagehands are usually only used locally and - in contrast to roadies - do not go on tour with an artist, stage hand teams are also referred to as local crews .
Stagehand work in the German-speaking area is not a profession with recognized apprenticeship training, the work is carried out in practice by casual workers through to qualified specialists.
job profile
Field of activity
Stagehands are an integral part of concerts and other touring performances, industrial events (such as incentives ) and can also be used at (party) political and other events. Work tasks include
- Loading and unloading the trucks
- Assembly of trusses ( "rigging" ) and headlights
- Cabling of the sound and light elements
- Stacking the speaker towers ( "stacking" )
- Attachment of privacy screens (such as "backdrops", "sidemasking" ) and decorations of all kinds in all stage areas
- Assembly and dismantling of the stage elements , seating and safety barriers
- Operation of the pursuer and reconstruction work during the event ( "show crew" )
Depending on local practice, stagehands can also take over the admission control and the guarding of the backstage area vis-à-vis the audience as well as the stage front security.
The assembly and disassembly of scaffold platforms, audience stands and FOH -Türmen ( scaffolding ) Stagehands are usually as Steel Hands (Engl. Steel = steel), respectively. For people who are only intended to work in the backstage and public areas at open air events (setting up supply tents, barriers, entry control points, protective devices, etc.), there is also the term site crew (= space crew).
working conditions
As unskilled personnel, the professional qualifications of the stagehands can differ greatly from region to region. Local crews can consist of event technicians and full-time stagehands or simply staff who are deployed on a case-by-case basis, such as students or members of the local fire department . Some productions also take stage hands with them on tour or only book occasionally with the local crew. In practice, a differentiation between stagehands, roadies and technicians depends on their area of responsibility.
In the Anglo-American area, the term stagehand also includes technical staff in the film and theater sector, who are mostly unionized ( stagehand unions ). In Europe, freelance contracts often predominate at stagehands, because only a few companies in the event industry have sufficient contingents of permanent employees . These then mostly come from event technology or other craft-oriented professions (carpenter, locksmith, etc.). Since the employer also pays great attention to compliance with all safety regulations and the further training of employees, the quality of these crews is often very good.
For a number of years, stagehands in Germany have mainly been employed by personnel service providers and deployed as part of a temporary employment contract for various projects and hirers.
criticism
Since many of the self-employed stagehands do not insure themselves, but accidents often happen in this area and the workers are sometimes underpaid and bogus self- employed via so-called bookers , this type of employment is often under pressure from the union side. The authority also repeatedly searches event agencies, as the employees, who for the most part state that they run a business independently , can only show a single agency as a client.
Web links
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Site of the North American Stage Workers Union.
- Student job Stagehand Article from the Spiegel from February 23, 2004.