Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Thursday, November 16, 2017
'One Tree Hill' cast accuses creator Mark Schwahn of sexual harassment
www.usatoday.com: Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and the female cast of One Tree Hill joined with the show's crew to write a letter accusing former showrunner Mark Schwahn of "traumatizing" sexual harassment on the set of the popular TV drama.
2 comments:
Claire Farrokh
said...
While all stories of sexual violence and harassment in the entertainment industry are heartbreaking and infuriating, it is particularly painful for me when the perpetrators are people involved in shows or films that played a major part in my life. One Tree Hill was one of my favorite shows growing up, and reading this article truly broke my heart. Hearing that this was happening to the entire female cast of the show throughout its incredibly lengthy run is horrifying. The letter written by the women in the cast says, "We want Tree Hill to remain the place 'where everything’s better and everything’s safe' for our fans; some of whom have said that the show quite literally saved their lives." The cast of One Tree Hill went through too much to protect the show and its creator, as well as the fans. As a fan of One Tree Hill, I feel awful knowing that these women had the fans in mind when they kept this harassment from the public. It is absolutely disgusting how the entire cast and crew was aware of this man's actions, and how he continued to have a very successful show, and a very successful career. Thankfully, that ends now.
It is heartbreaking to see that another show has been touched by this growing scandal. Several of the shows that have been connected to sexual harassment scandals were shows that framed my adolecensce. In this article, the failure of "the system" is referenced. While it is incredible that these stories are coming out now, and that - as in the case of Mark Schwahn's suspension from the show The Royals - these allegations are finally being taken seriously, I cannot help but wonder at what comes next, after the accusations have slowed, and the lawsuits have been settled. How will the system be rectified so that complaints are heard, and that power dynamics are not so oppressive and total? Better yet, how will the culture change so that these kinds of incidents are eradicated? These women coming forward entirely and utterly deserve to have their voices heard, and deserve restitution, but we should also not lose sight of the future, and the fact that people will return to work tomorrow - as they have since this scandal first started breaking - to environments that have no satisfactory answers to these questions.
2 comments:
While all stories of sexual violence and harassment in the entertainment industry are heartbreaking and infuriating, it is particularly painful for me when the perpetrators are people involved in shows or films that played a major part in my life. One Tree Hill was one of my favorite shows growing up, and reading this article truly broke my heart. Hearing that this was happening to the entire female cast of the show throughout its incredibly lengthy run is horrifying. The letter written by the women in the cast says, "We want Tree Hill to remain the place 'where everything’s better and everything’s safe' for our fans; some of whom have said that the show quite literally saved their lives." The cast of One Tree Hill went through too much to protect the show and its creator, as well as the fans. As a fan of One Tree Hill, I feel awful knowing that these women had the fans in mind when they kept this harassment from the public. It is absolutely disgusting how the entire cast and crew was aware of this man's actions, and how he continued to have a very successful show, and a very successful career. Thankfully, that ends now.
It is heartbreaking to see that another show has been touched by this growing scandal. Several of the shows that have been connected to sexual harassment scandals were shows that framed my adolecensce. In this article, the failure of "the system" is referenced. While it is incredible that these stories are coming out now, and that - as in the case of Mark Schwahn's suspension from the show The Royals - these allegations are finally being taken seriously, I cannot help but wonder at what comes next, after the accusations have slowed, and the lawsuits have been settled. How will the system be rectified so that complaints are heard, and that power dynamics are not so oppressive and total? Better yet, how will the culture change so that these kinds of incidents are eradicated? These women coming forward entirely and utterly deserve to have their voices heard, and deserve restitution, but we should also not lose sight of the future, and the fact that people will return to work tomorrow - as they have since this scandal first started breaking - to environments that have no satisfactory answers to these questions.
Post a Comment