I recently was asked to write an official claim for sexual harassment in the workplace. I had experienced sexual harassment before in the work environment, but this was only the second time that I felt the need to make an official complaint in writing, and the company I was working with encouraged and aided in […]
Award-winning costume designer William Ivey Long has been accused of sexual abuse, according to a report by NPR. Court Watson and Michael Martin allege that Long sexually abused them while they were in college working on a summer production in North Carolina called The Lost Colony around 20 years ago. These accusations follow Martin’s accusations in a 2018 BuzzFeed News piece. NPR also unearthed a 2002 lawsuit against Roanoke Island Historical Association, producing company of The Lost Colony, filed by former production manager Mary Elizabeth Stewart, which includes reports of other sexual misconduct allegations against Long.
Berlin theatres have recently struggled with the aftermath of #metoo cases which came to light over the past few months. In March 2021, the artistic director of the Berliner Volksbühne, Klaus Doerr, stepped down after ten women officially complained about his unethical conduct towards them. Understandably, this has now led to further inquiries and discussions as to why theatre is a particularly difficult environment when it comes to sexual harassment.
Recent news has highlighted the ongoing gender gap that remains open in the UK music industry following the line-up for Reading & Leeds 2021.
With stories of sexual misconduct in rehearsal halls making international headlines, conversations are happening across the globe about how we can create safe creative spaces for our artists. Here in Canada, this conversation has been especially lively in the stage management community. We’re asking ourselves difficult questions about our own complicity, how we can support artists in coming forward, and how we can contribute to making rehearsal halls the sacred spaces they ought to be.
In the wake of Harvey Weinstein scandal in Hollywood, women from all over the world have been speaking up about their experiences with harassment and sexual assault. Not surprisingly to women, the stories are many and all too familiar. In the Huffington Post article The Thing All Women Do That You Don’t Know About, Gretchen Kelly sums it up perfectly:
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