Friday, November 03, 2017
Surviving Sexual Harassment On Broadway, And Off: Guest Column
Deadline: Deadline asked three-time Tony nominated actress and writer Sherie Rene Scott, currently appearing off-Broadway opposite Jason Alexander in The Portuguese Kid, about her experience in dealing with sexual harassment and assault in the industry over the last two decades. It’s a subject that partly inspired Whorl Inside A Loop, the remarkable 2015 play she co-wrote and starred in.
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5 comments:
I thought that this article, and the answers Sherie Rene Scott gave, offer a very interesting perspective on what it's like to be an actress and to be an important role in an industry that has been corrupt by sexual abusers. Scott states that she has been commented about inappropriately, she has been in situations that have made her uncomfortable, and she has even been asked to take meetings in her male bosses hotel rooms. Unfortunately, these are all common in this industry, and Scott points out that that is disgusting and horrible. I do not know much about Scott, but the article states that she has been nominated for several Tony's, and I think that is proof enough that in this industry, you can work as hard as you want, and even the best of the best, are going to face sexual assault, and in no way is that an okay thing. Sexual assault and sexual violence should not go hand in hand with the entertainment industry, and it is evident that something has to change, and something has to change now.
I found this article very well written--and really appreciate this interview. We need people to understand that "Even in our beloved “magical” community of theater there’s a system of enabling a “boys will be boys” culture. It’s allowed predators to do real long-term damage. Theater people are among the most vulnerable. Abusers have no regard for gender, race or age. So the victims are many, over many, many years." This Harvey Wienstin revelation or Kevin Spacey reveal is not something that came up overnight. We aren't suddenly being harassed and assaulted--this has been happening in our industry since our industry began. People who have violated others have been allowed to keep their jobs, friends, social standing, and positions with-in the community. This needs to stop. Victims have the burden of not only fighting to be believed, but to also have to fight through the blow back, and having people learn about some of the most traumatic things about you.
I am so glad that this is something that is still being talked about. I was so worried that it would become "old news" and fade out. But our industry has had an incredible moment of realization at how bad this problem is and the way in which it continues to persist and harm many. The problem of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace will continue until it is made absolutely un-acceptable. Or as the article states "The enabling of predators in the theater community must stop. Our fear of predators will end only when victims can be confident they’ll be heard, not ostracized, or at least can chose to come forward anonymously and have their voices count." That is the absolute truth. All of a sudden since Harvey we are starting to see these predators being punished for their actions. Just yesterday Kevin Spacey was fired by Netflix for the actions he's been accused of. The more that we can help the victims to be heard and those who prey to be punished the closer we will get to ending this problem.
This is a really honest and well-written piece. I was enraged by the shrug-off non-apologetic non-sincere BS “apology statement” by Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacy but I’ve found it reassuring and promising that more and more people, men and women, who were the victims of sexual assaults felt emboldened to come out and uncover the ugly and horrifying behaviors that we ALL KNOW are rampant in this society. These habitual sexual predators are deeply narcissistic and I highly doubt that there would be a day when they actually came to repentance and like the author said in the article, the change must come from both a society as a whole that holds these people accountable and also those who are powerful positions. It’s dangerous to just hastily jump to the conclusion that sexual harassment is a Hollywood problem, or it’s an entertainment industry problem, because the fact is it’s a society problem and it’s up to all of us to stop it.
Much like Kyrie I was also worried that this discussion would fade into the background and that we would go back to our musicals filled with predatory men and not do anything about it. I am surprised and excited by the fact that so many people are speaking up and that action is being taken. It was announced right after Anthony Rapp spoke out about Kevin Spacey that House of Cards would be ending after the 6th season but now as many more men have spoken up Netflix has released a statement that says that he will be written out of the season completely. Not only is this a huge victory for his accusers it is an incredible step that Netflix has taken, that I hope everyone else in the industry follows. It shows that sexual harassment and assault will not be tolerated, and that should you be accused you will lose your job, and fast. The thing about the Spacey case that is discouraging though is that it only took a few men speaking out for spacey to be fired where as women speak out against men all the time and nothing happens. I spoke about this in an earlier comment but we are dealing with a larger issue here than just sexual assault and that is out systematic mistrust of women. This spans back hundreds of years and we have made a lot of progress in it but it continues to plague our societies and the only way to fix it is to have it called out and to put more women in positions of power.
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