US producer accused of sexual harassment

[AnnaB]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 3:43am

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=87582

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 4:38am

"Harris's partners say in the lawsuit that during a game of "Truth or Dare" with cast members of Dog Sees God, she asked a male cast member "to feel her up" and also made sexual overtures to other cast members. It also says she groped a female cast member in a bar."

What were the cast members doing playing truth or dare with the producer anyway? These kind of things are very suspicious, as it seems they had more than just a professional relationship here. Bad idea.

[tim10086]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 5:00am

I googled this woman and found a photograph. She is QUITE hot.

[BroadwayChica]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 5:04am

LOL, I googled her too. And I agree, she's hot.

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 5:51am

I have to agree as well.Especially in this picture.

Updated On: 2/18/06 at 05:51 AM

[NYAgent]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 7:49am

If you look at the pic from the front page of the Post yesterday, she has her hand right on Eliza Dushku's butt. And not in the, Whoops my hand just slipped down inappropriately way.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 8:17am

Hell, she can grope me any time she pleases!

[Jon]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 9:30am

Hell, I'm a producer and I WISH I could get actresses to play Truth or Dare with me!

[tim10086]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 4:12pm

"it doesn't mean it is okay for them to make sexual advances"

But what if the advancee endorses the advancer? I'm fairly certain there would be more "accepted" sexual advances than "rejected" ones. I find theatre is full of sex, really. Most people seem to have been with a couple of colleagues.

And of course image has something to do with it. If Margo Lyon (sp?) ran her hand over my ass, I'd get outta there. But if it was this Dede woman, she could touch me all she wants. I guess its human nature.

[Fizz]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 4:20pm

I find theatre is full of sex, really.

Even in high school its like that. I hate to generalize, but a lot of theatre people are sexual people, maybe due to learning to work on movement and whatnot, plus the energy that charges the whole theatre during a live production and the confidence an actor also gets onstage that can sometimes carry over to real life(however brief). Not ALL theatre people are like that, but a good many I've met are.

Its like at the Olympics. You get a bunch of talented, beautiful people together with a lot of pent-up energy and theres bound to be lots of sex or references to sex.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 4:29pm

Stop playing Truth or Dare with your producers!

[BreakingTheCircle07]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 5:06pm

Don't know if this has been stated already or if it was implied, but is this why the three Dog Sees God castmembers left early in the run? And is the big financial suit the reason for the closing date to be pushed forward?

[Jon]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 7:11pm

The implication of the lawsuit is that the closure of the show was caused in part by the loss of somke the "name" cast members, which in turn was cause by the producer's behavior.

[tim10086]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 7:42pm

"Its like at the Olympics. You get a bunch of talented, beautiful people together with a lot of pent-up energy and theres bound to be lots of sex or references to sex. "

There was an article in my local paper a month or so ago (not sure if it went worldwide) that mentioned how Da Vinci had loads of lovers and was very good in bed, etc. There is definitely some link between between being artistic and being sexual.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 7:45pm

I dunno, I view it as everybody is a sexual being, but creative type people are usually more comfortable with themselves in general that they are more inclined to discuss and/or express their sexual natures and tendencies.

[Fizz]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 7:59pm

Yeah, you described it a bit better than me, Thesbijean :)

There was an article in my local paper a month or so ago (not sure if it went worldwide) that mentioned how Da Vinci had loads of lovers and was very good in bed, etc.

*nods* There was an article that came out around the time of the 2004 Olympics that had to do with the stuff that goes on in the mini Olympic village thing they always set up. At Sydney they ordered 70,000 condoms and put them in machines, ran out, ordered 20,000 more, and still ran out again three days before the end of competition.

[Amneris]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 8:30pm

To be honest, I feel horrible for Ms. Harris. I know this story is quite shocking to most.. and those who semi know her or know her know her.. "know" that she is VERY lovey dovey. She is a VERY NICE & Hardworking humanbeing. I find it QUITE odd that "Dog Sees God" is closing because of her.. any lawyer can look at box office receipts and see the show was failing on it's own. I feel horrible for her daughter and this is just blowing out of control.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 2/21/06 at 1:42pm

Well, clearly there's something up somewhere as Dog Sees God announced today that it actually closed yesterday, ahead of its original out date of the 26th.

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/21/06 at 2:03pm

If they were all engaged in playing "truth or dare" in a bar with their producer, they are just as guilty of any offense as she is. There had better be more substance to the case than this highlighted, detailed instance. And I mean a LOT more. While sexual harassment is definitely a serious crime... so is a "witch hunt." And they're going to have to prove their case clearly... and prove that they were completely innocent in their responses (as opposed to encouraging it in a game scenario).

[ruprecht]

Posted: 2/21/06 at 4:25pm

That's really the question, what the heck were they doing playing truth or dare with the producer of their show, wait better yet what were they all doing playing Truth or Dare in the first place? How very passe'. I'm postive there is much more to this than we're being let in on.

[Wicked_fan]

Posted: 2/21/06 at 4:39pm

When I read this story the first time, on another link, it just stated that they played truth or dare and she had one of the male cast members grope her...

When I read that...I imagined all of them sitting in a circle playing truth or dare and some woman saying "I dare you to...grope me...tehehehehe"

I mean, if you don't feel comfortable doing the dare...don't do it! Or, DON'T PLAY! Don't actually do it then later be like "whoa, that was soooo sexual harassment"...it's like consent.

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/21/06 at 4:45pm

The part that bothers me is why, after playing such a personal and casual game with this producer, did they actually site this incident in their sexual harassment case against her? That's outrageous.

Next, they'll be complaining that during a game of strip poker... she actually removed her clothing in front of everyone. Shocking, I know.

If they had built their case using several other examples of inappropriate harassment behavior, I might be inclined to take their concerns more seriously. At this point, my big question to them would be "what the hell were you thinking?"

They'll have to come up with a lengthy list of examples that hold more water than this one, if they want to erase the "bogus" tone of their whistle-blowing, so far.

[JRTO]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 7:46am

"The suit further charges Harris made key decisions without consulting her partners, including rehearsal schedules, casting, script changes, ticket prices and advertising."

interesting how you can be sued in an sexual harrasment case for making key decisions without consulting.

and truth or dare sounds like a concenting activity to me, unless she held guns to everyone's head and told them to play.

seems like someone has a grudge for a show that failed.

Posted: 2/22/06 at 8:34am

I don't understand why all three of Michael Reidel's last columns were entirely devoted to this. An update each column, sure. One full column about it, sure. But aren't there other things for the guy to report on lately?

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 2/22/06 at 8:45am

Of course theatre is full of sex - a lot of emotion and power comes directly from the nether regions, as an old acting teacher of mine used to say to the gals - "sing from your c**t!"