VICTORIA, BC – On September 27, stagehands at Victoria’s Intrepid Theatre voted in favour of representation by IATSE Local 168 (Vancouver Island – Stage). The local filed its application for certification with the BC Labour Relations Board on September 12. A hearing was held on September 19 at which a voters list was agreed to, and which encompassed all stagehands employed by the Intrepid over the current calendar year.
The Intrepid Theatre Company was founded in 1986 to produce the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival. In 1998, the Intrepid launched Uno Fest – a curated festival of one-person theatre held annually and in 2015, launched OUTstages, Victoria’s first queer theatre arts festival. The Intrepid operates two year-round theatre venues, the 180-seat Metro Studio and the 50-seat Intrepid Theatre Club.
The representation vote was held over two days, with ballots to be counted the following week, on September 27. Once opened, the ballots revealed that the vote was unanimous in support of union representation, and the BC Labour Relations Board issued a certification on September 28. Local 168 and the Intrepid will begin negotiations soon to cover Intrepid stagehands, who are looking forward to working under their first collective agreement. The IATSE welcomes the new members brought in through this organizing campaign, and continues to support the organizing efforts of our locals.