I worked at the theater from 1976-1978 when it was still a Plitt property. Started as an usher and moved on to janitor/maintenance. Best high school job. We had the run of the place (especially the balcony and the backstage). We were paid sub-minimum wage of $1.85/hr, but always signed in for extra hours. Ushering was OK except the jackets we had to wear hadn’t been cleaned in any of our life times, and “You Light Up My Life” played for EIGHT weeks! DOH! Maintenance meant I was in charge of the baling wire and duct tape that held the place together. And the staple gun! This because the biggest part of the job was re-covering the seats as they wore out/were destroyed. The scariest part of the job was starting the heaters. The heating system consisted of 3 oil fueled flame throwers that blasted open flames at brick walls under the stage. The warm air was then circulated past the glowing bricks through tunnels under the seats. There was no thermostat so we had to manually ignite those ancient dragons. I was sure that one was going to blow up! Good times …
I worked at the theater from 1976-1978 when it was still a Plitt property. Started as an usher and moved on to janitor/maintenance. Best high school job. We had the run of the place (especially the balcony and the backstage). We were paid sub-minimum wage of $1.85/hr, but always signed in for extra hours. Ushering was OK except the jackets we had to wear hadn’t been cleaned in any of our life times, and “You Light Up My Life” played for EIGHT weeks! DOH! Maintenance meant I was in charge of the baling wire and duct tape that held the place together. And the staple gun! This because the biggest part of the job was re-covering the seats as they wore out/were destroyed. The scariest part of the job was starting the heaters. The heating system consisted of 3 oil fueled flame throwers that blasted open flames at brick walls under the stage. The warm air was then circulated past the glowing bricks through tunnels under the seats. There was no thermostat so we had to manually ignite those ancient dragons. I was sure that one was going to blow up! Good times …