Des Moines Metro Opera alumni say relentless schedule ran them ragged

AI-assisted summary

Des Moines Metro Opera workers describe grueling work conditions, including weeks exceeding 100 hours without overtime pay.

Workers report mental and physical exhaustion, sometimes sleeping on the job or experiencing breakdowns.

“It’s like a summer job and a summer camp,” said Nick Kuhl, the Des Moines Metro Opera's technical director in 2010 and 2011.

Part of a series on the labor practices of the Des Moines Metro Opera.

Summer stock culture is odd.

For the Des Moines Metro Opera's three-week run of shows, a crew of about 100 interns, apprentice artists and young seasonal workers move into Simpson College apartments in Indianola toward the end of May. As they work to stage shows at Simpson's Blank Performing Arts Center, they share communal bathrooms and a small