Genuine question from a design theatre undergrad, is there not membership in the big US theatre unions for props artisans? Assuming you’re working stateside that is
The answer here is somewhat complicated and boils down to “kind of.” For context, I’ve been in the industry about 10 years, mostly as a freelancer in New York, entirely in theater. NYC is it’s own little ecosystem where most of us are freelancers. I can tell you that summerstocks are mostly if not entirely non-union; some of the bigger regional theaters have staff or seasonal props positions but it varies by house whether or not that’s unionized.
In the city, you have a couple union options: IATSE Locals 1, 52, 829, and ACT. I am not a member of any of these so take this with a researched grain of salt.
Local 1 covers all the Broadway stagehands as well as film and television, essentially a labor union. It is time consuming and expensive to join. (If anyone is interested in more on this, let me know - I have met with reps about both joining and the process of unionizing a house.) If you want to be a stagehand, it is 100% worth it. They are a VERY strong union and you’ll be very well taken care of. That said, Local 1 contracts are with houses, not with people. This means that if you, a union member, work in a non-union space you do not earn union wages or benefits. (Also I believe you’re supposed to notify the union that you’re doing that but don’t quote me on this.) For a variety of reasons, only Broadway and a few of the larger off Broadway houses are covered by 1, but they also do a ton of film and tv work. For props, this mostly means that you’re running shows unless you land a sweet TV gig like SNL. There are a few production props supervisors who are union but they tend not to be artisans. There are a couple non-profit companies like Manhattan Theater Club which have unionized Broadway houses and hire artisans but to be honest it’s fairly rare. (There’s also Local 4 which covers Brooklyn and Queens - you can still work in any IATSE house and it’s slightly easier to join.)
Local 52 does cover all the props subdivisions but is exclusively film and television. This is pretty much all I know about it.
Local 829, also known as United Scenic Artists, broadly covers designers. This is essentially an artists’ union. I know a few props people in this union, but most of them tend to also do scenic design. Despite the name, they cover all New York designers with, of course, the exception of props designers. They’re a weaker union than Local 1 but it’s also a union that you take with you rather than being specific to a house. While they don’t currently have a props category, this is something that the community has been gently buzzing about although it’s a ways off.
ACT - Allied Crafts and Trades, a subset of IATSE - is the union most props people are in if they’re in one at all. Most of the regular Broadway prop masters are covered as are touring props people. It’s significantly easier to get in. You still have to pay but unlike Local 1 you get in by being sponsored by someone. This can be a union member in good standing who knows your work, a production company, or a show. Non-union prop masters who work in union houses are generally on “pink contracts” which is basically an agreement with Local 1. It’s kind of like being temporarily union but also very much not like that. I’m happy to go into what I know about this if anyone’s curious but my last pink contract was about seven years ago so my memory is a little vague. ACT I believe also only covers you in houses that already deal with IATSE.
Again this is all fairly New York specific but I believe IATSE locals (other than ACT) do tend to cover specific houses rather than freelance artisans like myself. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong.)
tldr: there are unions props gigs but they are almost entirely centered around Broadway, film, and tv. For someone who chooses to work mostly in non-profit theater, mostly as an artisan (as I do), there currently is no good union. Because we fall at the intersection of labor and artistry none of the unions are quite sure what to do with us.
I hope this helps and is not way more info than you wanted. Please let me know if you have any other questions - I’m happy to write another essay or point you in the direction of someone with better information.
