Cleveland Play House officials have yet to respond to allegations levied Wednesday that leadership mistreats artists of color.
The national theatrical union Actors’ Equity Association confirmed Thursday there are two open grievances related to the production of “I’m Back Now."
The director of the canceled Cleveland Play House production is speaking out about why the production was pulled last month, just weeks ahead of its world premiere.
In a 10-part Instagram post, Stori Ayers alleges the Play House mishandled the assault of an actor and mistreated Black women artists. The playwright revoked the rights to “I’m Back Now” in response.
Ayers wrote that Play House Interim Artistic and Managing Director Mark Cuddy failed to notify her of a sexual assault of one of her actors that reportedly occurred in temporary artists’ housing, and that CPH leadership “doesn’t value Black women artists.” The actor was also not offered alternate housing and required to continue rehearsing after the assault, according to Ayers.
Ayers and the playwright of “I’m Back Now,” Charly Evon Simpson, have not yet responded to a request for comment.
The New York-based Ayers was named a CPH Artistic Directing Fellow in 2020. In her social media post, she said she stepped down from that role later in 2020, but she returned this year to direct "I'm Back Now" as a "restorative justice attempt." The post also raises an interaction with CPH Board Chair Michael J. Meehan, which Ayers said left her feeling that “artists of color… are not human to Cleveland Play House.”
Ayers' Instagram thread is also included in this series of tweets by Playwright Charly Evon Simpson:
I SAID NO TO HAVING MY PLAY DONE AT CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE.
— Charly Evon Simpson (@CharlyESimpson) February 8, 2023
What follows is a statement from me and a longer one from director Stori Ayers about why she stepped away and why I pulled the rights to my play. pic.twitter.com/a2ARKQfOUc
“I’m Back Now” was the company’s second production change this season, and the story follows a woman discovering her family's past as slaves, going back to the Civil War era. Last fall, the “Light It Up!” holiday program was canceled “at the request of the creators due to their own schedule and creative conflicts,” according to CPH. Alternate holiday programming was arranged in partnership with Karamu House and Apollo’s Fire.
When CPH announced the cancellation of “I’m Back Now” in January, the organization declined to comment on why it was canceled, posting on Facebook that "a series of events impacted the community of artists involved with the production."
Cleveland Play House leadership has been in flux since last spring, when longtime leader Laura Kepley stepped down. Managing director Collette A. Laisure stepped down in October. A search for replacements is still underway.
