Term of the Day: "can't quit you"

"can't quit you"--when a boss keeps hiring you. "That head, even when I screw up, keeps hiring me. He can't quit me." From "Brokeback Mountain," without the sexual connotation.

Term of the Day: Broadway Karen

Broadway Karen-- aggressive white woman on Broadway who uses an unstable personality and tears to get things to go her way. Must be good at note taking for searing attack memos sent to theater management.

Term of the Day: to Lady MacBeth someone

to Lady MacBeth someone--to undo another person through plotting and personal attacks on their character.

Overheard Stagehand Line #23: "That tech would kick me down the stairs..."

"That tech would kick me down the stairs with a smile on his face."

Term of the Day: die on this hill

die on this hill--to take a stand. Usually used in the negative..."I am not going to die on this hill," meaning a beef or fight is not worth the political capital. "The carpenter is fighting me over who services the scenics during a paintcall...he is in the wrong, but I am not going to die on that hill." Obvious military reference.

Expression of the Day: "Smile when you stick the knife in"

"Smile when you stick the knife in"--sometimes getting revenge can be BOTH business and pleasure.

Term of the Day: a bridge too far

a bridge too far--an unreasonable request or expectation that can't be met. "Your request for the extra stagehand on the crew to cover the contract stagehand for his vacation is a bridge too far."  From the WWII movie about the disastrous Allied invasion of the Netherlands, at the Battle of Arnheim.

Overheard Stagehand Dialogue #34: a kiss-ass and a backstabber

Stagehand 1: Do you know that young, annoying contract propman?

Stagehand 2: Him? Yeah. Be careful. He is both a kiss-ass AND a backstabber. You have to watch your ass and your back at the same time.

Term of the Day: second act trouble

second act trouble--when an ambitious musical starts to fall apart in the second act. Often the solution is trotting out the Broadway cliches.

Term of the Day: construction face

construction face: during a load in, when you tell the young production manager that a crew member needs to go on construction, he or she will gasp and give you a tight smile.

Term of the Day: go to the forks

go to the forks--to drive a forklift, to work driving a forklift. "I can't work for you on Monday. I am going to the forks at another venue."

Term of the Day: good Rolodex

good Rolodex--a boss who has a long hiring list of the good stagehands, who has access to and hires good people. A Rolodex is the archaic card index that businesspeople had on their desks for many decades.  "That head has a good Rolodex of mechanics and builders."  Also: "I've got your name in my Rolodex."

Term of the Day: "Do you want a gold star?"

"Do you want a gold star?"-- sarcastic line when a stagehand is boasting of a repair he or she made, or how great a project turned out. Or: "I am out of gold stars."

Term of the Day: "Once more, with feeling."

"Once more, with feeling"-- something to say, when doing a repetitive, boring or sometimes brutal task. Parody of old voice-coach directions. "As the stage manager had the prop person reset the file cabinet over and over during tech, another propman muttered, "Once more, with feeling."

Stagehands I Have Known #2: The Man from Paco Rabonne

The Man from Paco Rabonne--mean old carpenter who wore too much cheap cologne. Now retired.

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: to be Breakfast Clubbed

to be Breakfast Clubbed-- when a small group of stagehands is given an early call that lasts all day, with little or nothing to do. The reference is to the 1985 John Hughes movie "The Breakfast Club," where a group of high school students are held in Saturday detention. "I had a 6 am call with five other stagehands to the stage, where we had nothing to do for 12 hours...we were Breakfast Clubbed." (From Greg Leshe, Local 52)

Term of the Day: to dirty someone up

to dirty someone up--to savage a person's reputation, by telling stories that are real or fictional about them on the street.