Overheard Stagehand Dialogue #62: "...the assistant director"

Stagehand #1: "Did you hear the assistant director lost his shit when he saw a stagehand with white sneakers onstage in a blackout?"

Stagehand #2: "It's rough owing all that money to Yale. When he calms down, I hope he can get his head back up the director's ass."

Term of the Day: laundry job

laundry job-- producing a bad show to launder the money from a from a hit show, usually by the same producers.

Term of the Day: alley conversation

alley conversation--the Broadway alleys, where the deals are made, plots are hatched and business agents are called. "Hey be quiet, that's an alley conversation."

Term of the Day: roll 'em in the aisles

roll 'em in the aisles-- to make an audience laugh uncontrollably.

Term of the Day: flunky

flunky-- yes man (or woman), hanger on

term of the Day: bench partner

bench partner--in the scenic shop, the mechanic you share your workbench with.

Term of the Day: go apeshit

to go apeshit--to go crazy in an irrational way, over a little thing.  Possibly violent.

Term of the Day: all skate

all skate-- when numerous cast members are out and many or most understudies are thrown onstage. Skating rink term, when all patrons are allowed to skate.

Term of the Day: deep-seeded hatred of stagehands

deep-seeded hatred of stagehands-- an irrational rage and hatred of stagehands. "The genial PSM, known for his candy drawer, had a deep-seeded hatred of stagehands that popped up periodically. His jovial self was not to be trusted."

Term of the Day: Belasco blue dress

Belasco blue dress-- dress worn by a female character in every production at the Belasco Theatre. The Belasco Theatre was owned by the impresario David Belasco, who died in 1933. There are at least two ghosts in the theater. One is Belasco, who wears a tuxedo, and the other is the Woman in the Blue Dress, a showgirl who fell down the elevator shaft and died. To keep the ghost of the Woman in the Blue Dress happy, each new production's costume designer puts a blue dress in every show.

Term of the Day: All-Day Ray

All-Day Ray-- famous mechanic, now retired, who was known for working slowly and taking all day on projects, big or small. When sent to the alley to build things during the load ins, you wouldn't see Ray until the end of the day.

Expression of the Day: "He's not my fave"

"He's not my fave" --a subdued way of saying "I hate that guy."

Term of the Day: snark

snark--sarcasm, inappropriate sarcasm.

Term of the Day: uptight nice, uptight nasty

 uptight nice, uptight nasty-- two flavors of Broadway stage managers.

The San Francisco Animal Project

Dave Chisholm from San Francisco said that he and his fellow stagehands went
crazy collecting animal names for stage terms. Here is his list: 

Pig (Iron) = Theater weight 
Hog Trough = Two sticks of 1"x joined in a V-shape 
Seagull = Swoop in on someones gig (from catering) 
Chicken = Slack (San Francisco) 
Fox and Hound = Two part cable tester 
Rabbit, Turtle, Hare, Tortoise = Fast, slow (lift controls)
Duck = Opposite of "Heads Up" 
Clam = Bad musical note (Buddy Rich)
Albatross = Case with a bad caster (England)
Birdie = MR-16 based mini-par light 
Squid = Fan-out (audio) 
Yellow Jacket/Bumble Bee = Cable trough 
Dog = Cam 
Spider = Speaker part 
Spider Box = Movie electrics distro 
Sheep Shank = Hitch 
Snake = Multi channel audio cable
Fly = Where scenery is stored when not in use
Dog House = AC breakout box or mixing board cable protector
Dog and Pony = Routine show 
Cattle Call = Many workers/actors
Turkey = A particularly awful show
Mouse Off = Using bailing wire to secure a hook 
Fish = Pull cable through a narrow passage 
Squirrel Around = Thread cable through a tight area 
Monkey Push the Buttons = Learn to operate a piece of gear through trial and error 
Catwalk = Elevated walkway 
Hamster = Short wave radio operator (not a stage term but super funny) 
Honey Badger = To tear something apart without caring (OK, we stole that one from Randal) 
Branch-a-Loures.. (Really a Film term) Think Gobo. 
Animal = When we are over-performing. This could be either a positive or a negative observation.

Crap we made up:
Mice = Audio 'cause they squeak
Magpies = Props 'cause they hoard and distribute shiny things 
Owls = Video 'cause the peer intently into little screens
Wilde Beasts = Carps
Riggers = Flies
Monkey = Any Hand
Electricians = Visigoths (ACT)