Holidays in Theater

Holidays in Theater

From Assembly Guide by Alicia Newcom

January 7, 2026 · 43 min · Season 1 · Episode 11

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges faced by theater workers during the holiday season and advocates for more humane working conditions.

The holiday season is huge in the theater industry. It’s a time when audiences are extra excited to see shows and when theaters make a lot of their profit, but that doesn’t mean that time has to be any less humane for the people working it. During the holidays, theatre workers often work excessive, inhumane schedules without adequate rest, often during cold and flu season when theaters are already significantly understaffed. We are also expected to be away from family and friends at a time the rest of the world is celebrating being together, and while theaters make significantly more profit thanks to additional labor during this time, theatre workers aren’t compensated appropriately for the extra highly-strenuous work that we’re doing. Holidays in the theater industry could be way more humane. We should be taken extra care of by our companies in a time that’s physically and emotionally an extra strain on us, while being exceptionally profitable for them. Remember: your humanity is non-negotiable. Even during the holidays. Check out @assemblyguide on Instagram, and follow or subscribe for upcoming episodes. Have a topic in mind about creating more humane theatrical spaces you’d…

Topics covered

  • theater industry
  • holiday season
  • theater workers
  • humane working conditions

Keywords

  • theater
  • holidays
  • work conditions
  • profit
  • humanity

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