How Many Sex Offenders are in Your Community Theatre?

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

Due to specific state laws that protect registered sex offenders, certain details in this article are purposefully vague. 

I have a couple of questions for you. I want you to be honest about your answers.

1. Do you have registered sex offenders involved within your theatre community?

If your answer is no, my next question is:

2. Are you sure? 

If your answer is yes, my final question is:

3. Have you checked on that?

The last question is an important one because it's more than likely that you haven't. And to a degree, that's understandable. Regarding community theatre, background checks usually aren't a part of the audition/callback process. But should they?

While the vast majority of community theatre participants aren't registered sex offenders, some are. When they go unchecked, the results can put others involved in a precarious situation and theatres at great liability risk.

Last year, a community theatre in Utah faced outrage after it was discovered they had cast a convicted sexual abuser in multiple shows with minors in the ensemble. To make matters worse, the parents of the minors were never notified by staff at the Empress Theatre, that a person on the sex offender registry would be alongside their children.

In CT, a former community theatre director and designer was finally charged with the sexual abuse of minors after facing multiple allegations. Surprisingly, Dan Checovetes was allowed to work on productions with minors even after the theatres were alerted of the allegations.

Incidents like these are happening all over the country. While it's hard to try to identify sexual predators who haven't been arrested or convicted, the fact that theatres aren't protecting their communities from those who have been is almost even worse. 

Percentages of repeat offenders do vary depending on the offense. Still, studies have found that sex offenders had a total recidivism rate of approximately 20% over ten years, and 30-40% after 20 years. While those percentages might not seem high, just one incident happening within a community is one too many. 

So what can theatres do to prevent these situations from happening? Here are some basic steps every theatre should take:

1) Vet everyone involved in these productions

If you have the resources, perform background checks on every adult actor in a performance with kids. At a minimum, do Google searches of everyone on the shortlist to be cast and check your state’s sex offender registry (this is my home state’s sex offender registry)

2) Establish clear code of conduct policies on acceptable behavior

Generally speaking, this is a good idea for every production, but especially for those with kid actors. Here is a good example of a good and comprehensive code of conduct.

3)Provide training for all staff and performers on recognizing and reporting inappropriate behavior.

Treat the theatre, even a volunteer theatre, as a workplace. Make sure everyone understands their roles in maintaining a safe environment. There are free resources and certifications for a nominal fee.

4) Monitoring and Oversight

When it comes to productions with children, they should be under constant supervision either by their parents or someone designated by the theatre to watch over them backstage. Designate individuals responsible for monitoring behavior around kids during rehearsals and performances. Encourage an environment where anyone can report concerns without fear of retaliation.

This is just a starting point of processes to ensure safety. Please consult professionals who can recommend specific policies and practices. 

In every event, cover your bases. Your first priority is to protect those working within your space, and your second is to protect your theatre company. 

A search of a sex offender registry takes very little time but can prevent disasters.

It is always better to be safe than sorry.