Broadway strike may bring unity

NEW YORK – Broadway producers got some of what they wanted: more control of the number of stagehands hired to open and run a show. But they are going to pay more for using less of them.

In the complicated, convoluted world of negotiating Broadway labor contracts, the give and take between Local 1 and the League of American Theatres and Producers during the 19-day strike that ended Wednesday night was exhausting. More than two dozen plays and musicals were shut down during the walkout, and box-office losses totaled in the millions, not to mention what was lost by theater-related businesses and personnel.

One thing was certain.

“What both sides came away with from this is that they need to work together,” said Hal Luftig, a producer of “Legally Blonde.”

“Broadway is evolving, it’s changing. We need to find ways to hear each other’s needs and try to figure out ways to respond to those needs,” Luftig said Thursday.

“There is now going to be more of a dialogue,” Luftig said. “I think for the first time they (the union) heard what we need as producers in terms of backstage support and we heard from them what their concerns are. There are certain things that will provide savings to specific productions, reducing the load-in crew, things like that.”

“A strike is never easy,” said producer Kevin McCollum. “As difficult as it was on many of us, the upside is that we understand each other better than we ever did,” he said. “Spending that much time together to talk about our issues actually brought us closer and ultimately will make the industry stronger.”