AGMA Safety Delegates: The Met's Unsung Heroes
There is so much in the news lately about safety in the performing arts—from the tragic accidents happening on a movie set, to an ill-fated Broadway production with injured performers, to safety protocols with regard to COVID-19. Many have wondered how the opera industry has dealt with safety on the job.
A production still from Francois Girard’s production of Der Fliegende Holländer.
Thanks to recent improvements to the AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists) contract at the Met, union delegates have more of a voice than ever before. We can do more to help a large company like the Met tackle issues to improve the stage experience of all our performers. With experience and a deep knowledge of the repertoire, safety delegates can help the company identify problems before they emerge. This improves the rehearsal process and in turn, the run of performances. But delegates also have a responsibility to help performers—we remind seasoned veterans, and notify new members, of the specific safety issues at play, especially if a particular production hasn’t been part of the repertoire in a while. We serve as the bridge between performers and the Met’s Technical Department, helping to make the opera stage a safer place.
The Safety Committee at the Met is comprised of delegates from each department (from performers to stage hands, and everyone in between). The Technical Department of the Met is in charge of all aspects of our productions. Each month, we meet to discuss the productions that have opened and those that are slated to begin rehearsal before the next meeting. Any and all safety-related subjects are raised in these meetings, from costume considerations, to basic safety on set, to performers “flying” and, sometimes, even pyrotechnic effects.
The Safety Delegate’s job begins with a meeting in the previous season with the Technical Department. We are given a “snapshot view” of new productions for the next season (and no, we can’t reveal any of the details), including sketches or models of the set, lighting plans, choreography, and costumes. We discuss all aspects of the production and the safety considerations of each. Sometimes we’ll be on hand to see a mock-up of the set to get an idea of what we’ll encounter on stage. For example, we saw a small sample of Francois Girard’s Der Fliegende Holländer set, which was constructed to look like smooth stones on the seaside. We discussed the planned footwear, the staging, and the choreography, so that when we encountered the set months later, we could share our insights with the chorus and dancers.
Fast forward to the first rehearsal on stage: we see the set and are able to synthesize all our prior discussions to help choristers understand the issues at hand. As rehearsals progress, choristers are sometimes given direction by a small army of directors: our chorus master, a choreographer, a director or assistant director, a fight director, a stage manager, or a member of the music staff. With all those voices at play, we sometimes aren't aware of a piece of moving scenery or a bottleneck on a set of stairs. That’s when a delegate can speak up and give a warning.
There are many examples of issues that can arise as a production goes into rehearsal on stage. At the Met, for the first time we stage a scene in any production, we use "work lights" rather than performance lighting. The lighting in a performance can sometimes obscure a drop-off or the placement of a staircase. Often the next time we see the set we’ll be in costume with show lighting, so it's important for each of us to look around carefully, to be sure of our footing when show lighting is used. Some productions use "side lighting" which means the lights are placed offstage in the wings, and if a performer needs to exit through that wing, they are momentarily blinded on the exit. If we are on a raised platform, for example, delegates may ask for white tape on the edges to indicate where it's safe to step.
Parsifal’s infamous Pool of Blood, inhabited by Jonas Kaufmann and the Dancers of the Met.
There are also times when costumes present problems that are unforeseen prior to wearing them on stage. Women wearing large, unwieldy hoop skirts often have to contend with moving about the stage without being able to see their feet. Men wearing a sword belt for the first time are suddenly aware that the direction they were given might not work with a sword extending three feet behind them.
These issues, among the more complicated aspects of safety delegates' jobs, come up when working on new productions that have yet to take place on the Met stage. The Met’s Technical Department works diligently to make all aspects of the production safe, but when creating a new production, the learning curve can be steep. In the Francois Girard production of Parsifal, chorus ladies and dancers appear barefoot in a pool of water for the larger part of the second act, with red dye added to make it look like a pool of blood. During rehearsals, delegates communicated concerns to stage management and to the Technical Department, and in return, the Met provided slippers to the women travelling to and from the stage, and they laid down brown paper in the wings to make entering and exiting the scene less hazardous.
Even familiar productions can present safety issues. The Act I Turandot set is largely comprised of bamboo slats attached to iron frames and wood platforms meant to resemble bamboo. There are oddly-shaped set pieces and many “escape” staircases (both large and small) to access them. The set can be hazardous, and it’s very difficult to walk on. For Acts II and III, we are mostly downstage on wooden platforms, but there are some with areas with six-foot drop-offs. It's our job to remind performers of the hazards, so they can protect themselves adequately, even if that means simply to wear sneakers to rehearsal until they are used to the set.
Behind-the-scenes, during a Turandot technical rehearsal.
In the weeks and months leading up to the Met’s reopening, as well as during the 2021-2022 season, the Safety Committee has been more important than ever, though now some of our responsibilities are health-related. The Committee had a voice in establishing our current COVID safety protocols. We are proud that our idea of twice-weekly testing that the Met instituted has provided another level of safety with regard to the Coronavirus. The New York Times reported, “Overall, since imposing the testing requirement earlier this year, the Met has reported 19 positive tests, out of 12,824.” In addition to regular testing, we wear masks to rehearsals until we are on stage in costume. Performers with young children or immunocompromised family members appreciate the added safety provided to their families. While it’s sometimes challenging to find a place to store a mask in a costume as you enter the set, wearing masks to rehearsal has become second-nature, and the protocol has no doubt protected the company.
The efforts of our Safety Delegates have led to a safer workplace, and rehearsing and performing twenty-three to twenty-six productions in a given season requires an “all hands on deck” approach. Safety delegates are happy to help our colleagues and the Met, keeping company members safe while maintaining the Met’s usual artistic excellence.
