Theatre Work: Reimagining the Labor of Theatrical Production investigates both the history and current realities of life and work in professional theatrical production in the United States and explores labor practices that are equitable, accessible, and sustainable. In this book, Brídín Clements Cotton and Natalie Robin investigate the question of artmaking, specifically theatrical production, as work. When the art is the work, how do employers navigate the balance between creative freedom and these equitable, accessible, and sustainable personnel processes? Do theatrical production operations value the worker? Through data analyses, worker narratives, and analogues to the evolving gig economy, Theatre Work questions everything about theatrical production work – including our shared history, ways of operating, and assumptions about how theatre is made – and considers what might happen if the American Theatre was reborn in an entirely new form. Written for members of the theatrical production workplace, leaders of theatrical institutions and productions, labor organizers, and industry union leaders, Theatre Work: Reimagining the Labor of Theatrical Production speaks to the ways that employers and workers can reimagine how we work. *Winner of the Special Jury Prize for the 2024 George Freedley Memorial Award from the Theatre Library Association* “A comprehensive look at the labor of theatrical production, Theatre Work: Reimagining the Labor of Theatrical Production explores contemporary questions regarding labor practices within the industry. The authors provide a historical lens through which to view the topic, arguing for equitable, accessible, and sustainable practices within the profession.” Jennifer Luck , Scenic, Projection, and Lighting Designer, Theatre Design & Technology, Issue 1, 2026, USA " Theatre Work is a fascinating, at times difficult, exploration into some of the deep flaws in the current American Theatre, yet it offers hope and pathways to help remedy those flaws." Beowulf Boritt , TONY-Winning Set Designer and author of Transforming Space Over Time “ Theatre Work provokes crucial questions about the future of American theatre and the people who make it. At a moment when the field is at a crossroads, Robin and Cotton provide a valuable set of considerations for moving forward with equity and care for a sustainable future." Jessica Brater , Associate Professor of Theatre at Montclair State University and Coordinator of the BA and MA in Theatre Studies and graduate certificate in Theatre of Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Change “Natalie and Brídín’s book is an essential primer on the history of theater production. It then goes further to provide thoughtful insights as to how we got where we are, and foster valuable thinking about how we can conceptualize new labor and produce models for the future of the theater industry. I would recommend this book to anyone who cares about how theater sustains itself.” Jenny Gersten , Interim Artistic Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival, VP and Producer of Musical Theater at New York City Center, and commercial producer “ Theatre Work succeeds in both illuminating populations left in the dark, and offering a hand to those looking to join the cause toward equity in the workplace. It’s a sharp criticism of unsustainable business practices failing workers while simultaneously providing avenues for progressive, safe, and essential restructuring in the theater industry.” Z Infante , Multidisciplinary artist focused on amplifying the voices of underrepresented and at-risk youth through the arts "This book gives a detailed overview of how we have gotten to a place of pay inequity in the arts especially within theatre. The authors take great care and understanding to lay it out clearly and then follow through with actionable ways it could be remedied." Katie Irish , Costume Designer and co-chair of Local USA 829's Pay Equity Task Force “Natalie and Brídín have taken considerable and incredibly thoughtful, conscious efforts to highlight the conditions and composition of today’s production labor force while contextualizing it in theater industry history, rooting it in decades of systemic inequity, bias, and racism. For those of us trying to influence change in the industry, it both validates how challenging pay equity work can be (AND WHY, given the deep deep normalizing of exclusion and working for passion not payment) yet also how important and necessary and urgent it is to work rigorously to dismantle the inequitable systems and industry assumptions of how things should be because “that’s how it’s always been/that’s show business.” We are so fortunate to have this research and data all in one place! And a forward by artEquity's Carmen Morgan?! Yes, please!” Danielle King , Producer & Director of Organizational Culture, Williamstown Theatre Festival “This book is a must read for anyone in theater or anyone interested in getting into