Ramasar, who plays Bernardo in the musical currently in previews, has been accused of sharing explicit images of female ballet dancers without their permission during his time as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Protesters rally at 'West Side Story' against Amar Ramasar casting
Ramasar, who plays Bernardo in the musical currently in previews, has been accused of sharing explicit images of female ballet dancers without their permission during his time as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet.
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It makes me uncomfortable that this actor “remains a member in good standing of Actors Equity Association, the Broadway performers’ Union”. My opinion is that this situation just reiterates that predators have support of large and powerful corporations. Why are women continuously denied sexual safety in the artistic workplace? People wonder why victims don't speak out. Is because we have seen that often the people in power take the side of their predator. Women should be able to express their art and talent without the fear of men taking advantage of their body. Paige Levy said, one of the protesters, it is extremely disheartening and scary that male performers are rewarded with Broadway leads when accused with sexual misconduct. It was inspiring to read that two Broadway professionals had joined the protest, and I hope as this conversation continues, more will speak up in support of Waterbury and other victims of sexual misconduct.
I first heard about Ramasar's sexual misconduct back in the fall, when I read the article, "Why You Should Boo Amar Ramasar in the 'West Side Story' Revival" by Chris Peterson. It's a good read and one important quote stuck with me. Peterson quotes Alisa Hurwitz, who called for a boycott of West Side Story; she says, "How can there be a “place for us” when that place is fundamentally unsafe? Acting requires trust and safety. The show’s producers have allowed a man known to disrespect and mistreat women to rehearse, hold, touch, lift, share scenes, and change backstage with female cast members. How can you put these women in harm’s way, even if that harm is the perception of being unsafe, in good conscience? What will you do to ensure that your female cast members feel and are safe?" Hurwitz makes a really great point here, directors try to act like they're making space for women in the rehearsal room, but then hire predators like Ramasar. That's a huge red flag regarding the director and casting directors.
This also makes me think about a more recent concept: employers researching potential employees. This new phenomenon doesn't seem to manifest in the same ways for men and women. Women are expected to keep their virtual identity and social media "clean," no sexual pictures, no signs of drinking, and no political opinions. But, it seems that men aren't held to the same standard. Either director Ivo van Hove didn't do any research on the actors he was hiring, or, even worse, he did and he saw Ramasar's past, and didn't care. So there seems to be a very clear double standard for men and women when it comes to our online presence.
Also, lets make something very clear, these are not allegations. Ramasar admitted to what he calls a mistake and poor judgement. So, with an admitted sexual predator in the cast, let's fix this the only way possible: boycott the West Side Story revival. Not just until he's fired, because it's clearly not just him, the director seems to think that this is no reason not to cast him, so let's make sure the seats are empty.
This is absurd. Earlier today I already read a separate article about this. It is very frustrating to see something like this go on in Broadway when it is supposed to support the arts and its artists. I haven't heard of Amar Ramasar before reading about these protests but after doing my own research and knowing what kind of person is being praised as the lead role in a Broadway production, I am very disappointed with the team of West Side Story. No one should be given an opportunity like this when they have hurt so many people in the occupation. It is disgraceful that everyone else who worked so hard to get this position and is respectful to everyone around them when they cast someone like Amar Ramasar. Also, the fact that these protests started because a high school student thought it was something to call action too is unacceptable. I hope a change in casting can come from these protests because Amar still has a lot to pay for from his actions.
This is incredibly frustrating to read. Is there no accountability being held anywhere anymore? It makes me angry that workplace conduct only lacks expectations when women’s bodies are involved. The fact that Amar Ramasar has not been blackballed in the industry for his abuses towards women, which got him fired from the New York City Ballet, makes me furious. It is also sad that I kind of expect things like this to happen, considering the fact that men have almost never been reprimanded, when they definitely should be, for doing this kind of thing to women. People talk about ‘protecting the art and talent’ of abusers like that makes up for their abuse, and it is disgusting. Now Ramasar has been given a Broadway position, which could have been filled by literally ANY other male dancer, telling him that he could carry on with his abuse of women and he’ll still be fine. It is disgraceful.
It is incredibly saddening and frustrating to read this article because it still presents this case as a situation and not really as a definitive thing, something which was done and should not be tolerated with. It brings up the questions of whether or not people who have made a name for themselves in the industry, are they not accountable for their actions and should they not be punished if they commit such crimes. But it seems like that is not the case with this man over here.
The fact that Amar Ramasar is still working in the field, even after all the crimes he has committed makes me so angry. Like should not someone, who violates and abuses the boundaries of women be reprimanded and stripped of the so- called reputation that they have in this industry.
But as Sammy mentioned above, it is not surprising either that this has happened, given that it is not very often that a man is punished for his crimes against women or other genders, cause it seems like the case. Which again speaks of the disgrace that such men bring to themselves and to the industry as a whole.
It is really unfortunate and frustrating that this is not something that seems to be taken seriously by the West Side Story production staff. As soon as these accusations came out, Ramasar should have been asked to step down from the cast of West Side Story. It is disrespectful and unfair to continue to allow him to gain fame and success when he ruined the lives of several dancers in the New York City Ballet. I am actually pretty surprised that they would take his side in this situation, but it seems like this continues to happen. Rather than holding the perpetrator responsible for his actions, instead we are blaming the victim and not allowing her to move on with her career. It is sad because I know this revival was something a lot of people were really looking forward to, but this really simple casting decision is really ruining the whole thing for them. This is a show I was excited to see, but I will not pay money to support this ridiculous decision to support him when it is clear that he is in the wrong. When they want to come out and remove him from the cast to do what is so clearly right in this situation, then maybe I will go see the show.
I am appalled by this choice in casting, and am honestly so surprised that this hadn’t made big news earlier (or more likely, that I myself am to blame for not looking into it sooner). I wanted to support this show so much, because I was intrigued by the modernization of such a classic show, but I’m not too sure I can do that anymore. Discussions of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry have been happening, but every time a story like this comes out it makes me more and more afraid to be a woman in the industry. It horrifies me that Ramasar was let back into the NYCB, because if someone gets back what they lost in a ‘punishment’, they’ll never learn—because they assume there won’t be consequences. I hate that the statement from the WSS spokesperson implied that because Ramasar is still in Equity, that everything is fine. But just because it’s a separate organization doesn’t mean that this person is going to act any different. I’m proud of the young activists for protesting outside the theatre, because they are going to be in the industry someday and want changes to be made for their working environment. I wish that I could support this show, but I agree with James, that I can't find myself doing so until a change is made with his casting.
I've been hearing a lot about this situation, and it's pretty disturbing. The fact that he did some terrible things, and completely exploited female dancers, and admitted to it, and is STILL allowed in a high profile job such as that of a Broadway performer is pretty disturbing. Not to mention the fact that the West Side Story Revival is backing him up, and staying strong in their choice, rather than finding someone else to play the role. Honestly, they've been swapping around roles so much at that show lately anyways, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. I just wish that men were held accountable for their actions, but unfortunately they hardly ever are. Hopefully something changes, and he is no longer casted, or at least if we all boycott the West Side Story revival (sad as it is because so many wonderful artists worked on it), then maybe in the future other producing companies will learn their lesson.
Good. There should be protestors out there and it is a shame that there are so few of them. I did not hear about this news until yesterday and it’s stories like this one that disgusts me and breaks my heart. What’s even more heartbreaking is that there seems to be no drive from the company to let Amar Ramasar go from the show. A man who abused his power over another woman should not be allowed to perform, let alone be protected for what he had done. The fact that there were so few people protesting there demonstrates that not enough people are aware of what is going on and not enough people are expressing their outrage about it. Allow him to continue to perform is what normalizes and empowers this behavior. Change can only happen if punishments are introduced and lessons can be learned instead of continuing to receive rewards for horrible actions.
Frustrated does not even begin to describe how I feel when thinking about how Amar Ramasar could do something so terrible can still land such a huge role in a Broadway production. I can't even begin to understand how this is possible. I'm so glad that people like Paige Levy are standing up and taking action against the decision made by the casting team. People like Paige are shouting from the rooftops that actions such as these should not be "rewarded," as she said in the article. This teaches people all over who have had the misfortune of being affected by sexual harassment and misconduct that they can not be silenced, and that they do, in fact, have the strength inside them to speak up and fight for justice and against the praise of, well, monsters, who are essentially being taught that is ok to treat people with this amount of disrespect without the worry of consequences.
Unfortunately I’m not that shocked that broadway has decided to overlook Amar Ramsaar’s past with the New York City Ballet. It’s very unfortunate that he has been hired on broadway several times in recent years even though during his time with the New York City Ballet he was accused of sending explicit pictures of the other female dancers without their permission. This kind of behavior is absolutely unacceptable and it is really sad that he’s getting away with it. I think it is really great that people are protesting outside the theater although I think it’s very unlikely that anything will change as far as him being in the show unless there is a huge effect on ticket sales. I also think it’s great that the majority of the protesters were high schoolers who are involved in theater because this means that hopefully these younger generations will not tolerate this kind of thing.
This is frustrating but unfortunately not surprising. Especially in this industry where actors work so closely with each other, trust and safety is so important to our jobs, and Ramasar’s casting explicitly goes against that idea. The lack of accountability for him and for the people who hired him is astounding, and the fact that these protests were organized by a high schooler is as well. While Equity talks about how they were not involved in the casting decision, they disregard that by maintaining his membership “in good standing” they were part of the process to allow him to get this job despite his conduct. They also point out their hotline to report harassment, but the fact that Ramasar has this job currently makes me wonder at its effectiveness. I think that this entire scenario was handled badly by everyone involved and I hope these protests have the desired effect, to demonstrate that it’s not profitable or helpful to overlook events like this. Unfortunately, I think that there are enough people who simply don’t know or don’t care that the show will still make money and can be then used as a justification for future repeats.
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