Making the Jungle Operations More Artist-Friendly

 

While the Jungle’s stage has been dark for the past 16 months, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the building. Here’s a rundown on what’s new and improved.

Staffing/show structure

  • Everyone who works with us, whether it’s for a four-hour crew call or a full show run, will receive information about safety precautions (COVID and otherwise), emergency procedures, reporting procedures for harassment and other unsafe working conditions, and hospitality offerings (restrooms, drinking water, area for meal breaks, refrigerators/microwaves, etc.). This information will also be available on our website for advance review.

  • We will pay a minimum wage of $15/hour throughout the building.

  • We are increasing labor support for costume designers and adding assistant designers and directors more often, to expand learning opportunities for the next generation of talent.

  • We’re adding a union board operator to each show, to share the workload in the booth.

  • Although our AEA-SPT 8 contract allows us to do up to seven shows per week, we will plan a maximum of six shows a week, to avoid over-taxing cast and crew. We will no longer do two-show days.

  • We are planning five-day rehearsal weeks leading up to tech, and we will no longer schedule 10/12 rehearsal days.

Building upgrades

We have used our time to improve working conditions top to bottom in the building, while providing employment to union work crews.

  • We have significantly upgraded our HVAC systems with MERV-13 filters, new control systems, and other repairs.

  • We are replacing the entire roof, to improve building insulation and to eliminate leaks.

  • We have purged years of accumulated props, furniture, electronics, paper and more. Current totals include three construction dumpsters’ worth of useless props, rugs, and broken furniture, countless books to Little Free Libraries, fabric and craft supplies to costume shops and universities, 17 boxes of paper shredding, and more than two tons of obsolete technology.

  • We’re prepping now for an overhaul of our costume/wardrobe areas, to make them more efficient, better organized, and more private, with enclosed fitting areas.

  • We have cleaned, painted, and rearranged our upstairs offices, and we’re doing the same with the dressing rooms and green room area.

There is more work to be done, and the truth and reconciliation project that we’re currently engaged in with our artists will undoubtedly lead to other suggestions. But for now, we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, and we look forward to making even more.

 
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ROBIN GILLETTE
Managing Director

CHRISTINA BALDWIN
Artistic Director

 
Jungle Marketing