Term of the Day: cowboy switch

cowboy switch-- when a stunt double is brought into do a dangerous stunt for the star, sometimes seamless, sometimes intentionally obvious. From the old westerns of the 1950s. In "Death Becomes Her," a stunt double is brought in several times to do a death defying tumble down the stairs or multiple gymnastic backflips. The cowboy switch was intentionally camp, with the two stunt doubles being a different size than the stars and in one case, even a different gender. 

Term of the Day: a mud producer

a mud producer--Broadway producer who get in the details and is involved with the actors, the creatives and the backstage departments. While some Broadway producers fly at 10,000 feet raising money, a mud producer gets down into the mud or the weeds, into the details of a Broadway production. A good example of a mud producer is Joey Parnes, producer of "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.".

Overheard Stagehand Line #55: "When the old carpenter finally forced the confrontation....

"When the old carpenter finally forced the confrontation, it was brutal for the old creep, but I had to teach him that it wasn't Las Vegas in 1982 anymore. No one else was going to do it."

Term of the Day: bitter old man territory

bitter old man territory--when a formally affable older stagehand suddenly becomes cynical and nasty on the job. "Maybe it was the third divorce or the years bouncing around, but that friendly stagehand became cynical and mean in the space of 12 months. He entered bitter old man territory and you don't come back from there."

Term of the Day: Local One suicide bomber

Local One suicide bomber--when a stagehand seems intent on blowing up his or her job. "He was a good worker for me for five years, then suddenly turned on members of the crew, and even the boss. He seemed intent on getting fired, on blowing up his job on the show. He got his wish. He was a Local One suicide bomber."

Stagehand Glossary v. 25 January 6, 2026

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