Hijinks, Antics and Unprofessionalism

My boss threw a coup at another theatre...the one that sponsors the high school program. He and the director regularly run into problems. Mostly because she is demanding. And he is lazy. And their personalities are nothing alike. He often attempts to undermine her authority by citing her disorganization and schedule changes. I do not know why problems always seem to blow up to the point that they do between the two of them. But this time he has overstepped his bounds. He acted in a manner that was slanderous, immature, unprofessional and quite honestly down right intimidating.

From my understanding the major problem arose when the director needed to cancel ONE rehearsal to fly to New York. At that news my boss, the lighting designer and scenic designer for the project they were collaborating on, threatened to pull himself out of the lighting design. He made it out to seem as if she had completely re-worked the schedule making him unable to attend any rehearsals before the light plot was due. It escalated from there. Unprofessional tactics on his end included blind carbon copied emails to other employees at the her theatre not directly related to the project, but who work with the director on a daily basis. He threatened to pull out the scenic design as well. In a production meeting to resolve the conflict and come to a solution...i.e. should the director hire on a new lighting designer last minute, who should it be, and if they could still proceed to work together on Romeo and Juliet, he came dressed to the nines. Highly out of character for a man who typically attends opening nights in cargo shorts or drawstring pants and a ratty polo shirt. He proceed to rip the director apart, in front of her colleagues, calling her incompetent, unorganized, uncreative, difficult to work with, and rude, among other things. This was not said. It was ranted. She asked what she had done to make him so angry at this point to which he responded if she didn't know then he guess she never would.

The question of whether or not he would complete the scenic design as contracted was still up in the air. Originally, and both parties had included me in this discussion. He had agreed to take a pay cut in order to hire others to build the set. He had confided in me his intentions to hire our technical director. A few days prior to the build date I asked our technical director if he had ever been approached about building the set. No. My boss had been paid in full, no pay cut, so it was assumed he had agreed to build the set himself after all. Two days of volunteers and not a complaint.

Now in the midst of the conflict he voiced his stress about having to build the set. Stating it was not what had been agreed upon. I would think, having received a full fee he would addressed the issue earlier. But no. He took it, started the process and then back tracked.

The director, now concerned about having her students volunteer under someone who had expressed such negative opinions offered to hire professionals on top of what she had already put out for him. The hope was such to pull her students from the conflict and ease the load my boss was complaining about.

He apparently took that as a slap in the face. He ordered another meeting to resolve the issue. Stated he would cut a cashiers check in the amount of his fee and budget to return to the theatre should the conflict not be resolved. He was effectively threatening to pull completely from both the show opening IN TWO WEEKS and Romeo and Juliet. After several unreturned emails asking to set up the meeting the director arrived at work today to find the cashiers check already dropped off. Which she assumed meant he had pulled his support. She called him to confirm that was the case and was again accused of a plethora of problems. She had offered to still pay him for the design, and for all expenses he had accrued so far and attempted to set up a time to retrieve what was built of the set. He refused. He was cutting his loses and refusing to let her use any of the work he had accomplished so far. She had to start from scratch two weeks before the show opens.

Thankfully, she had enough contacts here and mainland to find a designer to send plans ASAP that she could then forward to a professional shop here to build. It will be more costly. But honestly, it will probably be a much nicer looking set. And she's following through on my recommendation of lighting designer. And even our TD, whose had his share of problems with this man is stepping forward to help. Will will not see her fail. The cast and the arts community do not deserve that. What ever pettiness may have caused the conflict, the director does not deserve that...

And my name was thrown in on top of it all. The director has been confiding in me this entire time, knowing that I am a confidant and will not go randomly gossiping about the situation, nor would I attempt to make matters worse with my boss. But today apparently after her offer for professional help building the set, he told her I should be receiving the same because I am overwhelmed with the work load and miserable working with her as well.

Does he not realize I meet with her on almost a weekly basis to coordinate fittings and for the recent publicity photos? I was disgusted that he would throw me up like that without even considering speaking with me about how my work load is, or asking if I had any difficulty working with her.

What's even worse is over the course of the year, as mentors, both he and I were to be meeting regularly with our interns to teach them the art. I meet with Lisa on almost a weekly basis. For two hours. And it has been a joy to see how far she has come and how competent and confident she is. My boss, on the other hand, has not met with his intern ONCE outside of the production meetings we all attended together. This is an arts program that the students PAID to be a part of. And this student has received no guidance from his mentor. It is unacceptable.

Of course, were I to express my opinions of his conduct to others and words got back to him, he would accuse me of slandering his good name, as he had accused the director of doing.

It is sick, but almost comical in its insanity.

This is not a man who should continue to work in the theatre.

This is not a man who should call himself an artist.

I wanted to be able to fly away from the island, leave these problems behind and essentially bury the hatchet. But now, in the light of this ridiculousness I want to scream from the rooftops what sort of artist and professional he really is in the hopes of dissuading any future collaborators from every crossing paths with him.

I will never, with any sincerity, be able to recommend working for this theatre to any interested party as long as he is still employed by them.

This is not how the professional world is supposed to function.

And I will be exceedingly glad to turn around and never look back in his direction.

We should be building each other up to succeed. Not setting each other up to fail. But right now, not only do I want to see this man fail...I want to see him go down in flames.