On Nov. 10, 2007, the lights on Broadway went dark, and all but eight houses on the Great White Way bowed out before the Thanksgiving holiday. The 19-day stagehands’ strike cost the industry tens of millions of dollars each day, and even provoked a Supreme Court hearing led by the lawyer for Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. The two leading players in this debate were Local One, the union representing props managers, electricians, carpenters, and sound technicians on Broadway, and the League of American Theatres and Producers. Unsatisfied with the contract the league was proposing, Local One called for the strike after months of failed negotiations. In midtown, stagehands stood with their pickets, refusing to provide any sort of statement. Company managers looked grim, handing out notices of apology to patrons who ranged from disappointed to outraged, as actors signed autographs at the stage doors.

“With the precedent being set by the writers’ strike [the 2007-8 strike by members of the Writers Guild of America], the problem was that no one could really tell what was going to happen with the stagehands’ strike—and how long it could possibly last. I did my best to follow along with the latest news, but that quickly became futile since I couldn’t possibly stay on top of everything being released from both sides,” said Sloane Bratter, BC ’09. “As an avid theatergoer, of course I missed my monthly fix, but certainly I felt more for the out-of-work actors and musicians who had no choice but to patiently wait out the strike.”