Gephardt Daily: Four days after an actor vandalized the Utah Repertory set of “American Psycho,” and one day after that actor posted the reasons for his act on Facebook, the theater has closed down all operations.
“Utah Repertory Theater Company closes its doors after seven wonderful years of productions,” says a theater Facebook post issued in the early hours of Tuesday.
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I have so many questions about this. So many questions. First, why did it get to this level? Or how? If these things were happening and why did members of the cast wait so long to speak up or speak out? As much as I want to be on the side of the cast, I also believe that both sides of the story need to be told before anyone should make a decision about who is really in the wrong. Some of the allegations raised in the article feel misleading and almost an attempt to garner sympathy for a cast who continued to put up with things rather than speaking out. Don’t misunderstand me, I am all for supporting cast and crew in those situations where they are not being treated fairly and also support those who are victims of harassment or abuse, but as I stated, there are two sides to the story and Utah Rep is not telling theirs. That doesn’t mean they are guilty, but it would be nice to know once and for all. If you are in the wrong, step up and admit it.
Wow. I did click on this article partly out of curiosity in what chaos unfolded to cause the cast to damage a set and walk out, and oh man was there a lot going on at this institution. I read a few articles this week about consent and establishing an effective and useful Human Resources department, and I think that this case with Utah Repertory Theater proves that point. Iris McQuillan-Grace’s article on Howlround’s website talks about how young artists are encouraged to speak up, but the reality is that theatre and other art spaces lack a system of management that will recognize the voice of its employed artists, or that enforces rules to protect boundaries and safety and provide necessary accommodations. Liz Christensen’s article of LARP and consent from her blog speaks to hw actors need to be vocal about consent and abuse, and that it is the director and choreographer’s responsibility to set the precedent for consent and safety in a space. More theatres need to prioritize having a space safe and an HR department to enforce that space like Mcquillan-Grace talks about to ensure the kind of safety that Christensen discusses so that there are less instances of gross abuse like at Utah Rep.
This is all very unpleasant to read. Generally, it sounds like there was a very poisonous culture at Utah Rep, and it permeated all aspects of the production. From this article, it seems like there was probably bad behavior from everyone. The actor who vandalized the set certainly should not have done so. Iit does not come across as nonviolent protest, but rather a petty actor throwing a fit or trying to get attention. Meanwhile, as an anonymous source pointed out toward the end of the article, that same actor was a perpetrator of sexual harassment. I think the leadership of the company, who closed up shop rather than facing their problems and trying to grow, is also deplorable. It is possible, however, that the financial damage from the cancelled show was enough to do them in. The production was not under an Equity contract, so the actors had no protection, and they were not bound by any real rules. They also do not appear to have had useful guidance on how to fix the situation.
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