Inside 11 to Midnight: how bad production leadership is sinking a non-union Off-Broadway show

[Halo38_29n]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 6:33am

Throwaway. I am currently working on this production. What follows is a factual breakdown of how 11 to Midnight is being mismanaged at the production and stage management level, and why the design team is openly frustrated.

This is a non-union Off-Broadway production operating without the basic guardrails that normally protect crew, dancers, and designers. That alone isn’t fatal. The fatal issue here is incompetent production leadership layered on top of an already risky labor model.

The Production Manager has failed at the most basic PM responsibilities: realistic scheduling, department coordination, and contingency planning.

Set install is materially behind schedule. Not “theater behind,” but structurally behind. Load-in milestones were missed early, and instead of resetting the calendar, the schedule has remained aspirational. Build, install, and finish work are overlapping in ways that actively slow progress and create unsafe conditions. Departments are being asked to work around incomplete infrastructure rather than being given the time and access required to do their jobs correctly.

There is no credible recovery plan. Staffing has not been scaled to match the delays. Calls are being extended instead of restructured. The PM response has largely been to acknowledge delays verbally while continuing to push the same impossible timeline forward. This has created a domino effect across lighting, sound, automation, and scenic finish.

Stage management is not equipped to handle a production of this complexity.

The SM structure lacks command of the room and does not effectively interface with production or technical departments. Information is inconsistent, late, or incomplete. Daily schedules shift without clear rationale. Crew is often working from outdated or verbally relayed plans rather than locked paperwork.

Rehearsal discipline is weak, and there is no meaningful enforcement of boundaries between rehearsal, marketing, and technical work. The stage is frequently occupied for nonessential activities while crew is expected to continue work around them. That is a failure of SM authority and advocacy.

Critically, there is no visible effort from stage management to protect crew workflow, prioritize safety, or escalate issues when conditions are clearly untenable. In a non-union environment, that advocacy is essential. It is absent here.

Designer dissatisfaction is not subtle.

Lighting, in particular, has been severely impacted by the lack of readiness. Power, positions, access, and timing have all been compromised by the delayed install. Lighting work is being pushed later and later, not because of creative indecision, but because the space simply has not been ready to support the work.

When lighting designers are stalled due to incomplete scenic and electrical infrastructure, that points directly to production failure. You cannot cue, focus, or tech a show that does not physically exist yet. Designers are being set up to fail publicly for problems they did not create.

Other departments are experiencing similar bottlenecks. Communication between design and production is inconsistent, and designers are not being given reliable information about when they can actually work.

While crew is struggling to execute basic production tasks, the cast and creative team are regularly filming promotional social media content onstage. This is happening on an unfinished set, during active build periods.

From a labor perspective, this is disastrous optics. It signals that marketing deliverables are being prioritized over technical readiness and worker safety. It also actively disrupts crew workflow and compounds delays.

Ticket sales are soft. The production is already over budget. The burn rate is unsustainable.

Everyone inside knows the numbers do not work. Continuing without major leadership changes is simply extending the damage. In a union environment, intervention would already be happening. Here, the costs are being absorbed by underpaid workers and frustrated designers.

11 to Midnight does not have a creativity problem. It has a leadership problem.

The Production Manager has failed to plan, adjust, or intervene effectively. Stage Management has failed to hold the room, protect workflow, or advocate for basic professional standards. Designers are being blocked by conditions outside their control, then expected to perform miracles.

This show does not need more hype, more TikToks, or more optimism. It needs competent production leadership, realistic scheduling, and respect for the labor that actually builds theater.

For anyone considering non-union Off-Broadway work: this is what happens when leadership fails and there is no structure to stop the bleeding.

The audience will never see this version of the show. The people working on it live it every day.

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 7:25am

Was invited to a workshop and knew my investment would be wasted on this one. But non-union? How are they even able to proceed on this code???