KC Dinner Theatre Defies Union Guidelines to Reopen, Sends Nasty Email in Response to Concerns

While regional and local theatres all over the country are delaying or canceling their upcoming seasons, one Kansas City-area theatre is forging ahead to open next month, ignoring health concerns and union guidelines in the process.

To make matters worse, they sent a nasty email to other area theatres listing the names of actors who are speaking out against the reopening date. Which many are calling “blacklisting.”

Right before it was reported that COVID-19 cases are slightly increasing in Kansas, the New Theatre & Restaurant in Overland Park announced their intentions of reopening their dinner theatre next weekend on July 7th.

In doing so, they defied union guidelines to reopen which would prohibit union actors from returning to work at the theatre. To circumvent this, the theatre said they would stage a “concert” which would circumvent the union’s say in the matter.

In a statement from their non-deleted Facebook page, the theatre said,

“Actors Equity, the union that controls every professional actor in the U.S. is not letting actors return to American stages yet,” the message read. But “the actor’s union doesn’t control concerts. So, we are turning the clock back, the volume up, and putting our party threads on. We’re staging THE ELVIS CONCERT with a special appearance by JERRY LEE LEWIS!”

According to local news, the theatre did not include any safety protocols other than that they “will reduce its seating capacity to 390, encourage patrons to wear masks, and offer an “abbreviated buffet” served by “gloved culinary staff.”

Back in March, the theatre posted the below image which included some bewildering messaging:

The reaction to the theatre reopening didn’t go over well, to say the least. Local theatre professionals were quick to point out the flawed reopening plan and how it would put both employees and patrons at tremendous risk.

Some also pointed out a previous issue at the theatre where 600 patrons fell ill at the theatre due to a norovirus outbreak in 2016.

Rather than answer these concerns with professionalism, the directors at the theatre might have attempted to do much worse, to blacklist actors voicing their concerns.

According to the actors involved, the two artistic directors of the theatre, Richard Carrothers and Dennis D. Hennessy, sent an email to several KC-area theatres that mentioned the actors by name, referred to them as “agitators” and that they were “enjoying the spotlight & attention they’re getting now, something they have been denied on Kansas City stages.”

Nicole Green, one of the actresses named in the email, posted its text in a Facebook post. She redacted the other actor’s names but local news reported that they are Jake Walker, Nancy Marcy, Kyle Dyck, Sarah Lebarr, and Tom Lancaster.

After the email was sent, a new wave of outrage began, the theatre deleted its social media accounts.

Hennessy and Carrothers have not responded to local media for comment. However, Actor’s Equity spokesman Brandon Lorenz provided a statement to local news:

“We stand in solidarity with Equity members who rightly understand our industry has only one chance to get reopening right, and it is shameful to gamble with the health and safety of actors and stage managers, much less the audience. 

“It is deeply disappointing that while many producers are collaborating with Equity staff on health and safety plans, New Theater attacked members who are standing up for a safe and healthy workplace during a pandemic. New Theater should spend less time attacking Equity members and more time working on a substantive response to our analysis of their draft health and safety plan. Their workers and audience members would be better off for it.

“We are exploring all options to protect Equity members and keep them safe in the workplace.”

For his part, Walker says he isn’t worried about the potential ramifications for his career. “If asking theatres to make ethics and morals a part of their mission means I work less, it’s worth it if the message gets out there. And maybe other theatres will listen.”

Yesterday morning, the theatre posted a new message on its website. The statement did not include an apology to the actors for the email. The statement reads:

The reported number of Covid-19 cases in Kansas increased the week of 6/21 over the previous week by 49%. It was our hope that by July 7 the number of Covid-19 cases in Kansas would be decreasing. That doesn’t look like it will happen now and for that reason the executive staff at New Theatre has decided to not reopen until the number of new Covid-19 cases in Kansas significantly decreases. It’s the responsible thing to do.

Our current plan, (depending on the number of local Covid-19 cases) is to re-open with our new Season in September 2020. If you are a Season Ticket holder and have already received your renewal information, please fill out the form and mail it in, fax us at (913) 649-8710. Or renew online at www.newtheatre.com. We will have a very limited crew on the phones so please be patient with us if you choose to call.

If you have tickets for a performance between now and mid-September, please know your money is safe in your account. Thank you again for your patience. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Stay well.

So here is my take on this issue. The directors at New Theatre & Restaurant absolutely screwed up in multiple ways. First of all, I don’t care what state leadership is saying or whatever a theatre’s views are about safety - if the union had guidelines to be met, they must be met.

For those of you who know me, you know that Actor’s Equity and I sometimes don’t see eye to eye, but I absolutely believe they are protecting their workforce by implementing these safety protocols. For theatres to try to circumvent that or “union bust” is as deplorable as it is dangerous. And for a theatre that has a history with health issues, you would think they would know better.

Now, about that email. I don’t know what the directors’ movies exactly were, but to me, It certainly suggests that they were trying to paint the actors’ reputations poorly with other theatres in the area. To be completely honest, I’ve never seen artistic directors do such a thing in such a public way.

The phrasing they use and their accusations against the actors may or may not be defamation, but certainly close enough to that borderline. For artistic directors to be that irresponsible with their property is shocking and makes me wonder why they are allowed to continue running that theatre.

And I feel deeply for the actors involved. They brought up valid concerns about a theatre irresponsibly defying safety protocols that would have put neighbors and colleagues in danger. And in return, it appears that very theatre has tried to ruin their careers.

Instead of trying to do the absolute best for their employees and patrons, leadership at the New Theatre & Restaurant has appeared to have done the absolute worst.