Term of the Day: Mirror Ball Man

Mirror Ball Man--a Broadway carpenter fired for a mirror ball that crashed to the deck. "Under his watch, the carpenter allowed a badly rigged mirror ball to be suspended above the deck. He was fired after it crashed to the stage. Mirror Ball Man wound up getting another job."

Term of the Day: stage dooring

stage dooring--going to the stage door after shows to collect autographs and to interact with Broadway actors. Severely curtailed nowadays with COVID. "My uncle from Queens was very big into stage dooring. When we went to a show, we had to wait for autographs outside the stage door."

Term of the Day: on the bounce

on the bounce--when a stagehand works at multiple venues, not having a set home like a theater or a TV studio they work at regularly. Often referring to young stagehands. "After my show closed, I was on the bounce for several years, working between several theaters and CBS."

Term of the Day: salt, a salt

salt, a salt, to salt--a loyal union member who is placed on a job site that is trying to unionize, to act as as an agitator for unionization. "The new guy pushing for new members? He's a salt from the union." "The local salted the new venue with several articulate union members to convince non-union workers to sign cards."

Term of the Day: loading in poor

loading in poor--when the production is underfunded, from the beginning, they are cheap and try to cut corners. Usually results in a negative word of mouth on the street.

Expression of the Day: "Scott Rudin with a maple syrup flavor"

 "Scott Rudin with a maple syrup flavor"--Canadian ex-felon and producer Garth Drabinsky. After being indicted in 1999 for stock fraud and serving time in a Canadian prison and halfway house, Drabinsky is trying a Broadway comeback with "Paradise Square,"  which is loading in sideways at the Barrymore Theatre (February 2022). Drabinsky was called a "seductive and relentless psychopath" by the OnStage Blog. One of the leads in the Toronto production of "Phantom of the Opera" referred to him as "Scott Rudin with a maple syrup flavor," referencing the famously abusive and now disgraced American producer Scott Rudin.

Term of the Day: button

button--a musical theater term for the bump at the end of a song that lets you know it’s okay to applaud. Usually a light cue, linked to an instrumental bump.