Caroline, those are the people who hired them. There is no one to complain to other the police or labor board, or go public. And the trend nationwide, is to go public to shame these companies – weather it be a big magazine company, film companies or theaters – to shame these companies to do what is doing is right, and pay a decent wage.
But here's the thing, in NYC the market is saturated with people who want to be stage managers, but lack the resume credit to get a high paying jobs.
Jobs in NYC are layered.
There are $3,000 a week job on musicals.
$1800-2500 on other Broadway jobs.
A few LORT contracts around 800-1200.
Top Tier Off Broadway around 450-1000.
There are AEA stage managers, those who have extensive regional credit experiences, trying to break into the high paying world of commercial theater who are willing to PA on a commercial show for 150-400 a week (Without benefits, other than perhaps a metro card) for the opportunity to break into the world of of those 1800-3000 a week category jobs.
So, now imagine you are just out of school, 22-25 years old, a young resume without big show credits - desperate to build up your resume - why not take an internship - everyone else around you is doing it.
Then you find out, it's not internship, but really just unpaid labor - you have two options - walk away from the job or suffer.
Now, if you complain, you run the risk of just being let go (AND BEING LABELED A TROUBLE MAKER). This town, although very big, is pretty small as far as people knowing each other - someone has a rough day backstage as ASM, people are talking about it drinks that night - people who are four theaters away. A SM gets laid off, text messages flurry around. No GM/Producer wants to hire a trouble maker, or someone who rocks the boat - so many, many, many people suffer in terrible positions in the hopes that this was pass and they will find another job.
So people, having no other job offers, take a non-paying job to bide their time as they are applying for 40 other jobs a week. (In NYC, even when ou have a paying job, you are looking for something better, or something that could lead to better - it's just a simple fact of life of this business.)
You could walk away, but then you can't really list is as job reference. So, then any and all work you did to build you you resume is for naught.
So, you suffer . . . why? Because maybe, just maybe, if you stay long enough you might get a paid position. But chances are there are 12 other non-paid interns also going for that job. Or this resume credit will look good enough to help you get a paid position . . . someday.
Management loves this, they get people to do work for free instead of pay people - saying they are educating them. What business wouldn't love this??? And it's the norm in NYC. (And trust me, I am sure they are learning something - but I have been doing this job for 25 years professionally, and I learn something on every job I do - doesn't mean I shouldn't get paid for what I do.)
See, this is a completely non-union show, the can just make up the rules as they want, but the need to follow the laws. And, they are trying to use the "intern" label as taking relatively young labor without paying them a living wage. Mind you, this is a huge hit in NYC, as a downtown theatrical experience, with tickets from 80-130 – with up to nine shows a week. This is not a non-profit, 40 seat theater. (Mind you, I don’t feel unpaid internships as allowed anywhere).
So, here’s the thing . . . at the end of the day, theater is a business like any other business, but because of the huge risk, and high costs . . . money is always tight (or going back to the investors in the commercial world). This is a world we people continue to push forward the notion that people need to suffer for their “Art” – do a show for free. Everyone needs to work their way up top. That’s the crazy world of the professional stage management world in NYC.
(And, this is one reason why theater got unionized in the past . . . because of GMS and Producers who took advantage of the workers).
