“It is always a great feat for a staff to open a new theater,” Tatge said, adding that “all of the inspections were completed and approved prior to occupancy.”
On Aug. 1, with three weeks left in the season, Sirico was working to make space at the theater for a delivery from Pitts. They were amid a stretch of weeks of overtime, with hardly a day off. According to the OSHA report, Sirico had arrived at the Duke around 9 a.m., after working 13 hours, and leaving the theater at midnight, the day before.
Sirico placed 32 sheets of Masonite, a dense, wood-like material that was used as protective covering for the stage floor, on a cart. Each sheet weighed 44 pounds. With the help of an intern, Sirico began rolling the cart, and its roughly 1,400-pound cargo, along a sloped path leading out of the theater.
Moments later, Sirico and the intern lost control.
The cart gained speed as it rolled downhill, according to the OSHA report and a report from the Massachusetts State Police. Sirico tried to slow it by blocking its path, but they fell underneath the heavy load. They sustained severe head trauma and died instantly.
According to a video recording of a staff meeting reviewed by The New York Times, Tatge soon told employees, “We will not continue with the remainder of the festival,” adding that “the campus will remain closed to the public until further notice.”
Several former employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity said they were not surprised about what had occurred. The Pillow had long offered a well-regarded introduction to the dance world for college students, with a robust summer internship program. But according to the former employees, students were often ill-equipped to perform the tasks asked of them — rigging equipment from high above the stage, moving heavy materials and assembling intricate set designs.
