Overheard Stagehand Line #46: "...on the asshole spectrum."

"He's not autistic, but he's definitely on the asshole spectrum." --referring to an unfriendly TV actor famous for playing an autistic character.

Overheard Stagehand Line #45: "House of Mild Dislike"

"With three news heads and the pushing out of some crusty old haters, I hear that the House of Hate has become the House of Mild Dislike." A reference to the positive changes at a Broadway house, formally known as the House of Hate.

Term of the Day: the cursed prop

the cursed prop--the prop that always breaks and requires daily or weekly repairs, a prop that antagonizes a difficult actor and possibly makes the SM report. There is always one cursed prop.

Term of the Day: "conversations with myself"

"conversations with myself"--when someone is caught having a loud conversation with no one else present. "I found the older actor upstage, having a profanity-laced dialogue by himself... Oh, I guess it is a case of 'conversations with myself.'"

Term of the Day: collateral damage

collateral damage--unintended victims. "When the head was fired and replaced, his regular stagehands never worked in that theater again. They were collateral damage to regime change."

Term of the Day: coiled and ready to strike

coiled and ready to strike--a particular kind of eternally grouchy stagehand, ready to insert self into a conversation and attack participants or individuals. Motivations may be the third divorce, the morning hangover or a general hatred of humanity.

Term of the Day: typical sleazy non-profit behavior

typical sleazy non-profit behavior--when non-profit theater companies try to rip off their employees. "When the production manager tried to deprive the grossly underpaid apprentices of any overtime, the head shook his head and said 'typical sleazy non-profit behavior.'"

Term of the Day: donnybrook

donnybrook--a heated argument, a disorderly event. A reference to the famously disorderly Donnybrook Fair from 13th century Ireland.

Term of the Day: "Is it jake? It's all jake?"

 "Is it jake? It's all jake?"--Is it okay? It's all okay

Term of the Day: 30-year downward spiral

30-year downward spiral-- a slow agonizing downward spiral, a very wide spiral downward. "The drinking on the job, the two divorces and the fistfight in the alley were all part of his 30-year downward spiral."

Term of the Day: the whole shebang

the whole shebang--the whole operation, everything is included.

Term of the Day: Roundabout Pee Man

Roundabout Pee Man--famously abusive Roundabout extra carpenter, whose signature move is to leave a cup of his own urine out for his target to find. (Other people say the urine was deer urine from upstate New York.)

Term of the Day: "Don't shit where you eat"

"Don't shit where you eat"--don't date at work. Also: "Don't get your meat where you get your bread."

Term of the Day: "What fresh hell is this?"

"What fresh hell is this?"--what new difficult situation are you putting me into? What new problem has developed? From a signature line used by the literary figure Dorothy Parker.

Term of the Day: let him dangle

let him dangle--to let someone hang, to not save someone who is in trouble. "When the deranged contractman threatened his second Broadway head, he got in trouble with his tech and the theater owners. The head he threatened saved his job. Me? I would have let him dangle."

Term of the Day: keep your back against the wall

keep your back against the wall--when you are around people with a tendency to backstab, it is good to protect your back. "When that rat-faced, Tony-winning designer is in the theater, I always make sure to keep my back against the wall, so she can't stab me, or at least I can see it coming."