NEW YORK, NY – The IATSE International reached separate agreements with the off-Broadway productions of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and “Heathers” during the week of September 21, 2026, securing union representation and supplemental payments for the crews of both shows. Both productions are playing at New World Stages, a multi-venue off-Broadway theater complex in the Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. 

The agreements cover approximately 15 workers per production across Stagehands, including Carpenters, Props, Electricians, and Sound technicians, as well as Wardrobe, Makeup Artists, and Hairstylists. 

Organizing for both productions began earlier in 2026. The producers of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” voluntarily recognized the union. “Heathers” took a longer path to recognition, with the union prevailing after two NLRB elections following administrative complications that prompted challenges from both the employer and the union.

With both productions scheduled to close in the coming weeks, the agreements are short-term in duration but significant in principle. Workers secured union representation for the remainder of each run, along with supplemental payments that vary by production. 

“The IATSE continues our drive to represent off-Broadway workers, right up until productions close,” said IATSE International Representative Brian Munroe. “Off-Broadway workers deserve fair wages, benefits, and working conditions, and we will continue to fight for that.”

Theatre workers looking to join together to win better workplaces can head to iatse.net/join to contact an IATSE organizer.