New York Stagehand Glossary

virtual shaping--  asking for work via Facebook or by email, usually by younger stagehands.

hold first refusal: A Local 52 term. The boss may say, "I'll probably have work for you at the end of the week, but call me first ...

redheads --red dumpsters, used for construction debris only. "Pull the redheads in the alley at the end of the day."

cue lights --lights flipped on by stage manager to indicate cues to men on the fly floor or on the deck. There was a legendary flyman and dr...

a whip-around: a collection of money at a theater or TV studio for a stagehand who has had a death in their family or when a baby is born. ...

"moving deck chairs on the Titanic" --making small changes too late to fix a doomed show. "They made changes to the first act...

(a) haircut --when you cut the top off a prop or a small piece of scenery, so it can be accommodated backstage. "We had to give the boo...