Term of the Day: whitewashing

whitewashing--when a white actor plays an ethnic, black or Asian role on Broadway or in the movies. A major whitewashing controversy on Broadway included the casting of Jonathan Pryce as Vietnamese in "Miss Saigon." Gertrude Lawrence was the original Puerto Rican Maria in "West Side Story."

Term of the Day: "Don't screw the pooch," "You screwed the pooch."

"Don't screw the pooch," "You screwed the pooch"--a major fuck up. From the doomed astronaut Gus Grissom in the movie "The Right Stuff."

Term of the Night: to be elevated

to be elevated--when a Broadway head proves him/herself at a small house, they may be elevated to a more lucrative, larger theater.

Expression of the Day: "Hold clipboard, point light"

"Hold clipboard, point light"--when overeager stage managers start trying to do stagehand moves, like doing handoffs, moving props or paging tabs, they can be reminded gently or not, "Hold clipboard, point light," indicating what their responsibilities are, and that a conscientious stagehand will do his/her moves.

Term of the Day: Don't fight, girls. You're both pretty.

 Don't fight, girls. You're both pretty--When two stagehands or actors are fighting over something trivial, you can say this to them. Should be for both sexes.

Expression of the Night: "Don't pee on my back and tell me it's raining"

"Don't pee on my back and tell me it's raining"--great line for confronting a boss or another stagehand who is trying to force you into a bad situation by misrepresenting what will happen.

Term of the Night: blowing their wad

blowing their wad--to run out of money, when the producers run out of money. "The frantic workcalls during the production period were suddenly cancelled. We realized the producers had blown their wad." Of course, there is the dirty meaning as well.

Desperate Term of the Day: think happy thoughts

think happy thoughts--when you are desperately hoping that a repair will work or a damaged electrical unit will come back to life or a remote unit with a defective battery will charge, someone might say, "Think happy thoughts."

More Yiddish for the Stagehand: schmo

schmo--boring, stupid person. Originally from Yiddish, meaning moron or cuckold.

Term of the Day: short-timer

short-timer--stagehand who has gotten another job and has given notice. Or a stagehand who is vocal about his/her nearing retirement date. From the Vietnam-era Army rotations, where soldiers  knew the exact number of months that they were "in country." Towards the end of their tours, they were called short-timers.

Holding the Union Line: "We don't play that way in this house"

"We don't play that way in this house"--a famous Broadway head's response when asked to hire a stagehand without a card.

Mystical figures: my guru

my guru--the original stagehand who gets you real work in the local, who helps you get your card. "My guru turned me on to his friends who were heads because he knew I could rig in a hemp house." Guru is a South Asian Indian term for a spiritual leader or guide.

Term of the Night: my money

my money--Local #1 card time, or the Local # 1 pension credit if you already have your card, which is $37,500 per year. "My father was adamant that I make my money for three years in a row, so I would get my card quickly." "I bounced around around a lot while making my money for the card."