# Stagehands in the 19th century.



## gabe (Nov 28, 2009)

Hello, I'm working on a research paper and I am looking for information on the job of a stagehand in the second half of the 19th century, and how it changed and became more professionalized heading into the 20th century. I would love some primary and/or secondary sources on the topic if anybody knows of any. 

Thanks


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## cprted (Nov 28, 2009)

"J-Stor" and "America: History & Life" are the two best databases for historical research. Your institution should have subscriptions. Ask your librarian for a quick tour.


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## SteveB (Nov 28, 2009)

gabe said:


> Hello, I'm working on a research paper and I am looking for information on the job of a stagehand in the second half of the 19th century, and how it changed and became more professionalized heading into the 20th century. I would love some primary and/or secondary sources on the topic if anybody knows of any.
> 
> Thanks



IATSE has been the union representing stagehands since 1886 or so. The IA website has a timeline with some useful info on it.

-||- IATSE International -||-

SB


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## cprted (Nov 28, 2009)

SteveB said:


> IATSE has been the union representing stagehands since 1886 or so. The IA website has a timeline with some useful info on it.
> 
> -||- IATSE International -||-
> 
> SB


I was going to let the OP discover that on his own, but since you went there, I'll elaborate a little more on this. After governments and organized religion, nobody keeps better records than unions do. I'm not sure how broad you want to make this, or to what level of historical analysis you're willing to delve, but if you could find something like a major IATSE strike in the late 19th or early 20th C, you might be able to use that episode as an interesting window of analysis into the changing world of professional theatre.

Strikes can be wonderful things to study, not only will they produce huge volumes of documents to examine within the union itself, but they also spill into the popular press.

When starting a new project, America H&L was always my first stop. Dedicate a day to finding and reading a broad selection of articles on the subject. From there you should be able to narrow where your interests lie and start digging a little deeper. When reading articles, always pay close attention to the footnotes! They will lead you to other relevant sources (both primary and secondary).


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## lieperjp (Nov 28, 2009)

Another good place to search is Google Scholar.

Since it's a research paper, I'm assuming you're at a school - probably a college? Check the database resources that are available to you - most school and public libraries have a list of databases that are paid for by your library. Make use of them - you might find one that is specific for American History or Theatre.


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## cdub260 (Nov 29, 2009)

lieperjp said:


> Another good place to search is Google Scholar.
> 
> Since it's a research paper, I'm assuming you're at a school - probably a college? Check the database resources that are available to you - most school and public libraries have a list of databases that are paid for by your library. Make use of them - you might find one that is specific for American History or Theatre.



Speaking of the Library, do a search of the library's catalogue system for books on theatre history. There may well be a book on the subject collecting dust on the library's shelves.


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## SHARYNF (Nov 29, 2009)

This whole area is quite fascinating, here is a link to an annual meeting back in 1893

http://www.iatse504.com/sitedata/history.txt

The advent of using gas for lighting and being able to control the gas lights from one place could be argued as one of the pivotal events that pushed for organization.

In the UK west end of london (Convent Garden to be exact) in 1822 there was the Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes(RAOB) set up as a masonic order for stage hands and Technicians. There was a lot of excavation going on in the basements of buildings in the Convent Garden area a few years back when I was in London. 

Sharyn


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## gabe (Dec 1, 2009)

Thank you guys, I didn't find much on J-STOR or the other database you selected. I was able to find some cool newspapers from the time online via a site my school subscribes to, and the IATSE history text was helpful as well.


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