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Recent research regarding 10 out of 12 workdays shows that many industry workers are in favor of abolishing the practice. Tanner Richardett, a recent graduate of Drexel University with a master’s degree in Arts Administration, conducted a survey of theatre in the Greater Philadelphia Area to gather opinions about 10 out of 12s and 6-day workweeks. The research revealed that 83.5 percent of those surveyed agreed with the group No More 10/12s’ reasons for abolishing 10 out of 12s.
Richardett’s thesis, which is available online, served to determine Philadelphia-area theatre workers’ feelings about 10 out of 12s and 6-day workweeks. 10 out of 12s can lead to overworking and burnout, and 80 to 87 percent of those surveyed considered leaving theatre altogether due to this burnout.
However, the numbers alone, Richardett said, are not the most important part. It was “the stories, more than anything else,” Richardett said. He originally went into the research to find how many people supported the cause, but not why.
“Numbers don’t tell the full story,” Richardett said. “There’s a lot more hidden information behind somebody’s reason either to support or to be against a certain practice.”
The open-ended questions on the survey revealed the most information, according to Richardett. “It shaped the research in a way it definitely needed,” he said.
“I developed nightmares where I would be screaming in my sleep about not wanting to go back,” one anonymous survey respondent said. “When I woke up, I would see red and felt enraged.”
According to Richardett’s survey, 40 percent of respondents reported feeling unsafe or in danger while working 10 out of 12s. And 55 percent saw someone else’s safety at risk.
Some worked on little sleep, resulting in dangerous conditions. Others mentioned accident reports after working a long day.
A prop artist highlighted an incident where they were working on a prop in their 13th hour, with two hours left to go. The box cutter they were using slipped and they cut their leg. “I was working alone and immediately started to faint,” the prop artist told Richardett. And while they did not have to continue working on the prop, they still were asked to stay for the production meeting for their final two hours of work. This highlights another issue – that respondents felt that the idea of 10 out of 12s were only for the actors and that those who worked as techs often had to work even longer hours.
Richardett’s hopes are greater than Philadelphia. He wants research to be done on a greater scale for all theatre workers so that change can come. Richardett encourages data to be gathered in all markets. There are four main goals Richardett has for theatre.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Richardett said. “But it is broken.”
Richardett’s mantra of choice is “realize, sympathize, mobilize.”
“Nothing changes unless you make noise,” he said.
You can find more information about Richardett and his research, as well as additional resources, here.
No More 10 Out of 12s: The Group Fighting to Change Theatre
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