Episode 1: Feminized Labor

Argh, the sound quality, we know! We had some technical difficulties with our first set of interviews, but we still wanted to share the great things our guests had to say! And don't worry, we've got a brand new mic for Johanna, so she'll sound great moving forward!

Porsche McGovern, Elsa Hiltner, and Jessa-Raye Court join Johanna to discuss feminized labor and achieving pay and labor equity in theatre.

Feminized labor is the incorporation of womxn in the workplace under conditions inferior to men. We see this in theatre where, regardless of gender, costume workers are consistently paid less than their counterparts. There are many reasons, including that NYC costume shops aren't unionized (as opposed to Broadway scenic, lighting, and sound shops), and that we separate the IATSE union for wardrobe (Local 764) from the union for scenic, lighting, and sound stagehands (Local 1). Despite recent achievements, like reaching pay parity on Broadway and Off-Broadway contracts under the IATSE USA 829 Collective Bargaining Agreement, many areas of costume work still lag behind. This is only reinforced by trends in fast fashion, which cheapen the way costumes and clothing are seen by the public.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
The 2020 Survey Results
Take The New Survey!
Porsche’s Website & Patreon
On Our Team
Articles by Elsa: Inequity By Design, A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design
Theatrical Designer Pay Resource
Can You Sew This For Me? Instagram
Elsa’s Website & Patreon
Costume Professionals for Wage Equity
NYT Article on The Flea
Statement from Resident Artists of The Flea
Collaborator's Agreement from Johanna's Recent Show
Jessa-Raye’s Website

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Host: Johanna Pan
Producers: Shayna O'Neill & Johanna Pan
Music: Jay Ong
Audio Engineer: Justin Sabe

Click here for a transcript of this episode.