Jason Zinoman: “The answer has to do with the peculiar nature of stand-up, an art form in which the elephant in the room does not lurk in the background. It stands right in front of the microphone raising its trunk to the ceiling.” — The New York Times
Theater Mu, a St. Paul-based company focused on Asian-American work, cut ties with artistic director Randy Reyes after a board investigation “discovered conduct that did not reflect the culture we strive to achieve at Mu.” — The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Tamara Rojo: “In the past, the ballet master was an almost godlike figure. You did what he said and there was no room for conversation. Certainly at the ENB, that’s not the case. We encourage dancers to have opinions, ask questions and contribute to the process. The work is good because it’s the work of … Continue reading “The English National Ballet’s Artistic Director Says Ballet Is Changing With The MeToo Times”
In two front-page articles last year, the Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph published leaked complaints by an actress that Rush made inappropriately suggestive banter to her and (as King Lear) stroked her breast onstage as he lamented over her (Cordelia’s) body. The Oscar-Emmy-Tony-winning Rush, who claims he has suffered physical illness from stress over the … Continue reading “Actor Geoffrey Rush’s Defamation Lawsuit Is Banner Issue In Australia’s #MeToo Movement”
A pair of essays, by Gia Kourlas on how New York City Ballet’s dancers are standing up for decency and respect rather than defending the behavior of their now-departed colleagues, and by Siobhan Burke, wondering why the union that’s supposed to represent all the dancers is fighting for the two who were fired rather than … Continue reading “Ballet Culture Is Finally Changing, Because It Has To: Two New York Times Critics Reflect On #MeToo And The City Ballet Lawsuit”
Says Vicky Featherstone, artistic director of London’s Royal Court Theatre, the first in Britain to completely revamp its policies for handling harassment allegations, “What we’ve uncovered is absolutely monumental and I feel we’re further away than we’ve ever been from getting to a place of truth or change. It’s really distressing.” On the other hand, … Continue reading “After A Year Of #MeToo, How Much Progress Has Theatre Made?”
The lack of prosecutions stems from a clash between the #MeToo ethos, which encourages victims to come forward years or even decades after abuse and harassment that they’ve kept private, and a legal system that demands fast reporting of crimes and hard evidence.
As in Congress, so too in the arts: the scales of justice are weighed against survivors of sexual assault. That’s why American Theatre magazine’s thorough investigation of sexual assault allegations in the performing arts is so important.
With the company due to open its autumn programme on 18 September, one of its principal dancers has publicly declared that the NYCB needs “a moral and fair individual to lead us out of this darkness”. Signs also seemed to be emerging that the NYCB may face a boycott over Ms Waterbury’s claims that her ex-boyfriend … Continue reading “Will NYCityBallet Dancer’s #MeToo Lawsuit Force Reforms?”
When Joyce Maynard published her memoir At Home in the World, about when, 25 years earlier, she dropped out of Yale to go live with the 53-year-old author (and got abruptly dumped seven months later), she endured a wave of criticism for kissing-and-telling that to this day hasn’t entirely abated. Here she writes, “Though I … Continue reading “Predator Or Prey? J.D. Salinger’s Erstwhile 18-Year-Old Girlfriend Wants To Be Reconsidered In Light Of #MeToo”
