A 54-year-old stagehand fell from the scaffolding inside Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre and died Thursday morning.
The stagehand was taking down the set from the show “Beetlejuice,” according to the New York Post, in order to begin putting up props for the next show “The Music Man,” featuring Hugh Jackman. Police said he fell 50 feet at around 9:30 a.m. at the theatre, located at 7th Avenue near West 50th Street.
His name has not been released.
A statement from The Shubert Organization, which owns the theater, said, “At 8:45 a.m. Thursday morning Nov. 12 a stagehand fell from the fly floor above the stage at the Winter Garden and died from injuries sustained.”
The statement continued, “NYPD and OSHA arrived at the scene to conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the accident. We mourn the loss of our valued colleague. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family at this difficult time.”
Last month, Broadway theaters announced they would remain shut down until May 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“With nearly 97,000 workers who rely on Broadway for their livelihood and an annual economic impact of $14.8 billion to the city, our membership is committed to re-opening as soon as conditions permit us to do so,” Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin said in a statement at the time. “We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again.”
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