As theatre returns, we need to be mindful of predators in our communities

“As many of us prepare to return to in-person theatre, there’s been an emphasis on safety like never before. While COVID precautions are vital, we must also take precautions to keep our casts safe from dangerous people. Simply put, predators appear anywhere people gather. But over time I’ve found person after person who somehow thinks that we theatremakers are immune from incidents happening in our communities. The truth is, we’re not.”

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'Problems at The Purple Rose' - Part 6: Purple Rose Theatre Company accused of crossing sexual boundaries and grooming

“The Purple Rose Theatre, a resident Equity company in Chelsea, Michigan founded by Jeff Daniels, has been accused of fostering an unsafe work environment that does not recognize boundaries and mocks the idea of needing an intimacy professional. Meanwhile, artists have said they were forced into situations that were uncomfortable or had to observe incidents that crossed boundaries, in particular for female-presenting or LGBTQ+ artists.”

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'Problems at The Purple Rose' - Part 4: Theater and former artists disagree on diversity record

“On a recent Stephen Colbert episode, Purple Rose owner Jeff Daniels mentioned George Floyd and said that white America has to do better about issues of race. It was an episode that had many people seething because they felt he was not taking care of race-related issues in the Chelsea, Michigan theater he founded, The Purple Rose.”

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'Problems at The Purple Rose' - Part 3: Former employees cite violations of wage and hour regulations, OSHA and other laws

“As more stories surface about the working environment at the Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, a regional Equity house founded by actor Jeff Daniels, a common thread has been the relating of incidents that appear to violate U.S. employment laws, state wage, and hour laws, and OSHA requirements.”

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The ‘Tyrannical and Abusive’ Garth Drabinsky, and His Attempted Return to Broadway with ‘Paradise Square’ - Part 4

“If THIS is the man – a known abusive tyrant, volatile felon, and remorseless manipulator who is still demonstrating dangerously unscrupulous financial, behavioral and creative practices – who is Broadway’s literal first choice to reopen the very first new work in the world’s most prominent theatre scene, we are in trouble.”

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