The petition protesting the termination of Julie Crosby as Artistic Director of the Women’s Project gained the signatures of over seven hundred people. The signers included this country’s most accomplished theatre artists, leaders, managers, and supporters.
This response led to excellent news coverage. Most noticeably in the New York Times, where Emily Mann spoke forcefully on behalf of Julie, and in Playbill.com, where the case against the Board Co-Chairs was made clear by former WP Board Member Linda Healey. The Playbill story was picked up by the websites eWallStreeter, dailyme.com, ArtsJournal and the Dallas Arts Dealers Association.
Suzanne Bennett, Liz Diamond, Beth Blickers and Susan Jonas, former members of the Advisory Board, wrote to other former members on July 24:
We are pleased that our collective call for action was met by the theatrical community with such an overwhelmingly positive response. Julie has expressed her deep gratitude for the support we’ve all shown her. Yesterday, as you may know, the WP Board made the surprise announcement that Lisa McNulty is the new Producing Artistic Director. While we still seek the resignation of the current Board Co-Chairs, and continue to demand a just and respectful severance for Julie, we believe nonetheless that Lisa’s appointment signals that the WP Board has heard our call for a successor to Julie whose track record demonstrates a firm commitment to the Women’s Project’s core values and mission. Lisa has herself reached out to us to express her commitment to these, and to Julie’s outstanding legacy of leadership. In conversations with us, Lisa has expressed her desire to reach out to the theatre community over the situation at WP and restore the standing of the theatre. We appreciate the efforts Lisa has begun to make in this regard and believe that, with our collective support, she can restore and rebuild the Women’s Project. She has a difficult road ahead but is going forward with a clear picture of the challenges ahead, most notably regarding the composition of the Board of Directors.
The petition protesting the termination of Julie Crosby as Artistic Director of the Women's Project gained the signatures of over seven hundred people. The signers included this country's most accomplished theatre artists, leaders, managers, and supporters.So many of you gave your advice and encouragement through this long process. We deeply appreciate your partnership with us in this protest. Our sense, at this point, is that it is in the best interests of the WP and of all women theatre artists that we support Lisa as she steps into this demanding role. We remain concerned that the Board Co-Chairs have so far remained unresponsive to our demands for fair treatment for Julie.
Thank you all very much for your support and involvement!
Thanks, Sallie. I’ve been wondering what the reaction would be to Lisa’s appointment. Let’s hope she can knit things back together, but with that board, bon chance.
Sallie, I’m so pleased our letter will reach an audience broader than the former Advisory Board. Thanks so much for posting. One correction: the letter was crafted by Liz Diamond, Beth Blickers, Susan Jonas and myself. We passed versions of it around until we had a version all of us liked and could stand by.
You’re welcome, Suzanne, and thank you for pointing out this oversight. The post has been edited to reflect this fact.