In spite of how long the conditions described in the backstory were allowed to go on, this really is a good news story, in the end - or, it will be when the Code of Conduct is finalized and universally accepted in all non-equity houses. A major element I find missing at this stage is any discussion regarding how a violation of the Code might be addressed, but the project is still in pilot stage and the process will obviously take time to mature.
As I read the original Reader article, I kept wondering, Why? Why did an actor (and other actors) stay with a show when their co-actor bruised them, endangered their life by deliberately ignoring the 'safe word' agreement, slammed them so hard into a set piece that it damaged the wall behind it, etc.? More importantly, why did subsequent actors seek out roles with this company knowing the anecdotes regarding what occurred?
I mean, these situations are not like domestic violence where there are heightened emotional attachments, children, marriages, etc. involved This is workplace violence - established workplace violence that actors were aware of before paying money to be a part of.
I am proud of Emily Vajda for her honesty in helping to answer that question for me. I think the honesty of her blog post was courageous. She wrote:
"Even though I talked with these women, even though behind the scenes we would build each other up, give each other strength to walk away from this “family”, yes, that’s what we called each other, and strength to say – “No. This is not OK.” Still, I complied. Because I saw the wolf in sheep’s clothing. And yet, I used this wolf and this theatre to build my resume, to do good theatre – yes, we did good theatre because I thought, 'I can handle this man. I’m aware of this man. My eyes are wide open.'"
I'm very grateful for Ms. Vajda's willingness to share her story openly and honestly because I feel that what she said speaks to the heart of the issue. This story is not unique, and although I do not condone his clearly abusive actions, Darrell W. Cox didn't get away with anything he wasn't allowed to get away with.
I agree with Christopher Piatt when he wrote in his Mea Culpa article, "The fact of the matter is we all helped create Profiles Theatre, and now we all own it. The question is, can we now, ahem, man up like a hyper-masculine Darrell Cox character and admit it?"
Again, this is a good news story in that in spite of (and because of) what occurred in the past, there are good people currently working to create safeguards and measures of redress for non-equity actors in the future.
