CURRENTS

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I11 "j. I' J I i, i £ t~ f i .i, ~ j , a i. i ;~< 1 ~ .i N JAN. 30, 2015, AFTER A LONG DAY IN net, and NIOH decided to find a way to build one. "Noth- J ;. rehearsals, actor Lori Myers posted the follow- ing has happened to me, and I can't take direct action, " said "fi ing on her Facebook page: "It is very discouraging to me to Myers of the director in question. "But I felt that there were II J continuously hear stories of sexual exploitation concerning otherthings that could be put in place to help the next gen- young women in our community. These women were eration of actors." . :1 d sometimes underage, manipulated, and traumatized. If your Sexual harassment in the theatre field is not unique to '\ mend, sister, daughter, or coworker was working under a sex- Chicago, but the way that NIOH has galvanized its theatre a~j it. ual predator-what would you do about it?" community is unprecedented. Just a few weeks before Myers ,( The post received 178 comments, and within days, posted her social media comment, New York City-based '[ J Myers was swamped with telephone calls and messages. By playwright Julia Jordan presented a Statement of Principle :~ ::: re mid-February, she had created an advocacy organization for to confront sexual harassment in the theatre at an industry- i~ i~: victims of sexual harassment in the theatre industry, Not in wide meeting held at New Dramatists in New York City. The I: !' Our House (NIOH). The first meeting, a panel discussion statement, written with the help of attorney Norman Siegel, it 1\ on sexual harassment, was packed and lively. A support group called in part for a clearer complaint process and for unions :\ it for survivors was established, and by the next meeting, NIOH and guilds to adopt mediation. ,t ;1 launched a pilot initiative to write a Code of Conduct for the One of the paragraphs of the statement reads: "The the- if theatre community. atrical unions' and guilds' existing processes for addressing I,:i U Myers, who performed in the Obie Award-winning pro- this kind of unacceptable behavior are inadequate. There is i~. duction of Our TITiIJ1l and won a 2015 as lead actress a sense that the response from unions and has been r~ I, i~ in the Griffin Theatre's Men ShUllid Weep,heard rumors about non-existent or insufficient. In addition, the unions and guilds i\ a certain theatre director when she first started out in the take the position thatif an act of violence or harassment hap- !"'. Ii mid-1990s. The rumors never went away, but the problem pens outside of the theatre or after work they have no juris- I, If remained abstract. Myers said that as she has gotten older, she diction. However, the two people involved will most likely H p has been cast as a mother working alongside a cast of younger have to work together the next day or in another production." I. h women. "In the last three productions, this particular the- Jordan said that when she got involved with the issue, atre kept popping up," she said, adding that it "finally hit me she was amazed at how many people, not just women, wanted l{ , in the face: Why isn't anyone doing something about this?" to talk. "I got numerous calls from men insisting that they During the first ~'IOH meetings, other incidents be included," said Jordan, adding that she was particularly I came to light, mostly minor or isolated events. It's common shocked by the stories she heard from those who told her how i knowledge that non-Equity actors operate without a safety little was done when they did complain. ~ .1 80 AMERICANTHEATRE JANUARY16 "I think it's so much more widespread bership and the theatre industry at large." this craft, and that we have to bring to the than people know," Jordan said. She hopes table, in order to do our work, " adds Fisher. the formal statement will help change a cli- LAURA T. FISHER, A CHICAGO-BASED One topic of conversation that comes mate in which the problem, beyond "a wink actor, was performing at Milwaukee Reper- up a lot in meetings is the subject of tension and a nod," is barely addressed. tory Theater when she h·eard about Myers's and sexual friction, and how actors draw on . Jordan was still waiting fur a decision post and reached out. Fisher heads the code- that tension in positive ways to tell their sto- from Actors' Equity ~ation and other of-conduct project, and she began the pro- ries and practice their craft. "We don't want guilds during our conversation in Novem- cess by researching work issues and sought that to go away, but the more people feel safe, ber. "They have been sitting on it for a advice from an employment litigation attorney. the more they can talk about the problem and while," Jordan said. "Initially, the response In organizing the project, Fisher put not ruin the magic," said Fisher. was 'we don't think we need it,' and it is not together a group of 10 companies to help NIOH is also seen as a community just Actors' Equity." research and write the code. "There is mentoring project for young artists, and Actors' Equity responded to a request strength in numbers," said Fisher. "There the code aims to help create a safe environ- for comment on the statement by underlin- are a lot of 'right ways' to do this." The ment, particularly for newcomers. "If you ing their support for a safe workplace for pilot group has been meeting once a week are 19 or 20 coming out of school, and you their members. "Equity understands that and is closing in on completing a first draft enter this business or community with no sometimes situations occur that are out- by early 2016. training at all, you mayor may not have a side our scope of jurisdiction, or sometimes "I think the star piece, which not even very diverse level of knowledge and expe- members don't want to file a grievance with union theatres that I work in have, is a clear rience or know the dos and don'ts of get- the employer or with the union, " said Mary complaint path," Fisher said. There isn't a ting into this field," said Fisher. For exam- McColl, Equity's executive director. "Equity template for what to do when something ple, a lO-year-old actress may be asked t~ be has been working with a small group of goes wrong, particularly in cases that have naked for an audition and doesn't know she industry advocates seeking to create a third- gray areas, unlike with an assault, where the can refuse, said FISher. While the cases over- party neutral mediation service so industry action steps ate clearer. And non-union actors whelmingly involve women, harassment hap- professionals would have another resource. have little legal protection. "There should be pens to men, as well. "One of the more egre- When that service is ready to go, Equity a way to step through that process to pro- gious examples came from a woman toward will help to spread the word to our mem- teet the risk and freedoms that we have in a man," added Fisher. ;!~;~l):;iF~i~i~i'~'I~;1J~~~ i·iii~~'.ibi:f'>j~Il~~i~

82 AMERICANTHEATRE JANUARY16 "We sort of raise the bar culturally for let alone a Band-Aid. "You did it because you about the issue of sexual harassment for the all of us, so our artists, our administrators, wanted to put in your dues," said Brennan. online magazine The Clyde Fitch Report. our staff members, all get a little smarter, a "Now it is getting into the consciousness of Axelrod explained that the impetus for writ- bit more facile, and have the language behind producers to cover themselves." Of course, ing the piece came from a story she read about them to respond," Fisher said. with Equity there is a level of protection sexual harassment in the Bay Area theatre When it comes to Equity, NIOH would and documentation on what to do if there is community, and it made her think about an like to see some changes to the language a problem-for example, the first stop in fil- experience she had as an actor when she was around sexual harassment and discrimina- ing a complaint is usually the stage manager, first starting out in New York. tion in the Chicago Area Theatres (CAT) but small companies are often understaffed. "I don't think I ever talked about what rule book, and has approached the regional When asked about theatres with good happened; it was a long time ago for me," she office of Actors' Equity, but is still waiting practices, Brennan pointed out Actors The- said. Her story, like the ones coming out of for a final decision. atre of Louisville, which implemented man- Bay Area, are all anecdotal: "But that's all we Chicago actor Molly Brennan man- datory training on sexual harassment in 2012. have. Have there been any studies about sex- ages the NIOH support group and contrib- Managing director Jennifer Bielstein said that ual harassment in theatre?" uted language to the code of conduct based while a sole complaint prompted the action, Axelrod said that whenever women who on her experience with high-risk physical the training is seen as an opportunity to con- work in the theatre get together and talk theatre. "I'm a boots-on-the-ground activ- tinue to grow and learn as an organization. freely, the conversation turns to this topic. ist," said Brennan. "There is a culture of "We wanted to ensure that we were giving "I would love to go back in time to comfort leadership saying, Well, if you don't want our staff all of the tools they needed to rec- myself and confront the stage manager who to do this, there are 10 people behind you . ognize concerns and to address them, and walked away when I told her what happened," who will.' And I say, 'Hey, let's not be one more importantly to ensure that issues do not she said. What about the guy? "I don't think of those 10 people.' Don't do anything that arise," said Bielstein via e-mail. "We worked one violent act begets another, but I would feels like a violation. with a board member with expertise in this like to confront the stage manager, who was "In non-Equity theatre, it's a little like area and implemented the annual training." a woman and who didn't do her job." the Wild West," continued Brennan, add- This summer, a number of posts ing that when she 'was starting out, it was not IN DECEMBER 2012, ALABAMA-BASED appeared on the website Reddit about the unusual to work in a space with no bathroom, writer and filmmaker Laura Axelrod wrote harassment of female comics in Los Angeles.

NEWFROM s THE ..H-UMANS Breaking with tradition. Erik Blake has brought his Pennsylvania fafTlilyto:celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter'sap~drnflntjnlower Manhattan. Unfolding over a single scenefthjs~'d~lirious tragicomedy" (Chicago Sun- Times)byacclCJiJnedyoung playwright Stephen Karam "infuses the tradif19f1alkitchen-sink family drama with qualities of horr()f.inhisportentous and penetrating work of psychOlogitaLease"{Variety), creating an indelible family portrai " Karam is in rar..ef~¥t. 1ere, snowing a remarkable ear for the way fa]li~s;eonverse.- For all the characters' woes. this is it warm; bJ~~~"arptv observed portrait of their abiding eennec ·osWithone another." ~Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago

Theatre Communications Group

83 As in Chicago, there seemed to be one main tor, Bilal Dardai. "Part of why I love being in operation, Myers has noted positive culprit, but the discussion thread became a in Chicago as a theatre artist is because the change. "'We are starting to see a sort of shift forum for discussion on the overall problem. ensemble is writ large here," he said. Dar- where we can say, out in the open, that you Chama Halpern, cofounder of the iO dai, an ensemble member since 2004, has don't have to do something for your career Theater in Chicago and the iO West The- been charged with representing his com- that will put you in emotional or physical ater in Los Angeles, sent an e-mail in Sep- pany in NIOH. danger, " she explained. tember to its performers witha copy of the "When I hear that certain actors' expe- Myers also noted some challenges going. iO sexual harassment policy. Halpern said rience with a specific theatre sours them on forward. They are still figuring out a way for the problems that were occurring over the the experience of working in the theatre, it the code of conduct to be uniformly imple- summer revolved around one "idiot creep" feels wrong, because it is harming them per- mented. "How does the code of conduct in who was being verbally abusive. "A big mis- sonally but also because it is removing talent non-Equity theatres govern itself?" asked take the girls made is that they did not tell from a very large talent pool," said Dardai. Myers. "Frankly, it feels like some of the us," said Halpern. "They were afraid they "'When people say. 'I can't work in Chicago,' challenges we are hitting up against is the would be ostracized. I would never let that I feel like I have been robbed." old school mentality, like, '1 don't want this happen." In response, iO offered counsel- Being involved in NIOH is also impor- to put a tourniquet oncreativity' ... We are ing and has identified a staff member to tant for the company, despite the fact that still a slut-shaming culture." . handle any further complaints. Not only is the Neo-Futurists have fostered a healthy There has also been a small backlash sexual harassment illegal, Halpern said, "It culture for 27 years. "'What is useful about about a concern that NIOH would engage is not acceptable. We are taking care of it a code of conduct is it helps maintain that in a witch hunt, something Myers said the on our own." culture even after those that have established organization had no intention of pursu- One small theatre company that has the culture have moved on," said Dardai. ing. "Those conversations are shocking and had an informal sexual harassment policy for It helps everyone to get on the same page a challenge," she said. "Bur they are wel- years is the Neo-Futurists, a Chicago-based when it comes to defining productive behav- come." 2 ensemble theatre that began in 1988. The ior. "'We won't have to reinvent the wheel ... company is devoted to the idea of ensemble, and have a three-hour discnssion about why Ruth Lopez is an arts journalist and not just artistically-it is run by consen- something is wrong." based in Chicago. sus, explained the company's artistic direc- In the 11 months that NIOH has been

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