Jeremy O. Harris’s “Slave Play” on Broadway. (Photo: Matthew Murphy) Harris has committed to eliminating 12-hour workdays on future productions of the play.
Prominent theater artists are calling for the end of 10 out of 12s, a shorthand that describes the theater workdays during tech, which have traditionally consisted of a 12-hour work day, six days a week, with only a two-hour break each day. Such long workweeks, with only one day off, have made it more difficult for theater artists and technicians who are also parents, those who live farther away from the theater, and others.
Tony Award-winning designer Clint Ramos tweeted “If you work in theatre in America, 10 out of 12s- and 6-day workweeks are a big part of ‘the show must go on’. Let us end it.” The Slave Play scenic designer then ended his tweet with #nomore10outof12s, the hashtag that has been used as a battle cry to unify this movement.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Lynn Nottage, whose new play Clyde’s, will open on Broadway this fall, shared the same copy in her tweet with a photo attachment that reads “I am a theatre worker and I support the elimination of 6-day work weeks and 10 out of 12s.”
If you work in theatre in America, 10 out of 12s- and 6-day workweeks are a big part of "the show
must go on". Let us end it.#nomore10outof12s #giveusrest #nomore6dayworkweeks pic.twitter.com/9AWCbxD38r— clint ramos (@clintramos) October 12, 2021
Tony nominee Jeremy O. Harris also weighed in, tweeting, “I think this is also a good time to mention that on @SlavePlayBway & in all of my future productions in the US we will not be doing 10 out of 12s. Or 6 day work weeks. This was a decision that was made between Robert and I a few mos ago after a rich conversation w @clintramos.”
Theaters have also started to advance this movement, and the Off-Broadway theater Ma-Yi has been one of the most vocal thus far. That theater, which centers Asian American artists and stories, said, “Theater does not just magically appear, it is built off the labor of countless workers. All workers deserve a living wage, healthcare free at the point of service, affordable housing, and the time to build their own lives.”
They concluded the statement noting, “We are committed to ending 6-day work weeks and 10/12s.”
