Update 4:50p.m. January 23, 2017: The Alley Theatre has released an announcement that Terry Teachout, the playwright who wrote Satchmo at the Waldorf will take over directing duties of the Alley production of his play about Louis Armstrong.
Teachout, the drama critic for the Wall Street Journal, replaces Gordon Edelstein of New York’s Long Wharf Theater, who was supposed to direct this for the Alley, Edelstein was put on administrative leave on Monday after sexual misconduct allegations were raised against him.
The Alley did not address the Edelstein situation in its announcement just now, nor did it mention its policy on sexual harassment allegations.
Update 10:35 a.m. January 23, 2017: An Alley Theatre representative got back to us today to say that “Gordon Edelstein will not be directing Satchmo. We expect to announce his replacement soon.”
Original story:
As allegations of sexual misconduct and toxic bullying by former Alley Theater Artistic Director, Gregory Boyd, continue to mount and continue to go publicly unaddressed by the company, it seems a new crisis is set to hit the already wounded company.
Today, following a New York Times article, Long Wharf Theater Artistic Director, Gordon Edelstein, was put on administrative leave after four women spoke to the paper on the record about “unwanted sexual contact” with Edelstein dating as far back as his arrival at the New Haven company in 2002.
Why should we care?
Because Edelstein is scheduled to direct the Alley Theatre’s February 24 – March 18 production of Satchmo at the Waldorf on the company’s main Hubbard Stage.
With the production just a month away, it would be operating practice for Edelstein — who the Times describes as a “prominent figure in American theater circles” — to arrive in Houston and begin working in just a few weeks’ time.
So the question is, will the Alley stick with Edelstein in spite of the explosive allegations or scramble last minute to replace him? And in either case, will the company break its silence on sexual misconduct either in regards to allegations against Edelstein or its own former artistic director?
At present, Edelstein’s name seems to have been scrubbed from the play’s production detail on the Alley’s website. A call has been put into the Alley to get further information and we will update the story if any statement is made.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2018.
