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Suddenly, though, the immovable object moved dynamitedout of the way by apublic letterthat ex-BatBryn Carterposted on Instagram.
Carters letter to the Flea was spurred by the theaters response to the Black Lives Matter protests.
These conversations are not meant for behind closed doors any longer, she wrote.
Whats happening at the Flea might be a portent for the rest of our nonprofit theater.
Suddenly artists have the time to venture to set the indignities right.
And also … the Flea is New York writ small.
Both have put real estate ahead of people.
Here was theater in the ancient sense: as an auditorium for civic grief.
The show, which starred Weaver and Bill Murray, was hugely successful.
Creating joyful hell in a small spaceno longer needed somewhere quite so small.
But as the Flea grew up, the replenishable Bats stayed the same age.
But the late-90s system grew more and more out of phase with the institutions increasing solidity.
If your labor valuation is cracked, toxicity follows.
Over the last several weeks, there has been a great airing and accounting of troubles at the Flea.
Was it liberating to have a season all about race and color?
Or did it make the theater feel like a market for Black suffering?
Opinions among the Bats differ.
Even within BAC, theres varied opinion on how the race issues and work issues intertwine.
Niccolo Aeed (a resident writer for theSerialsseries) says, Its not an explicitly racist dimension.
He sees the nonpayment of actors as the root and the anti-Black tension as the branch.
If you have to forgo paying work, it prevents diversity, he says.
It assumes you have enough wealth or privilege, and thats the dimension Ive seen more than the racism.
UCB has closed its New York theater.)
The ex-Bat Selamawit Worku, on the other hand, felt there were more overt forces in play.
We are put in very vulnerable situations afterwards and worried about our careers or well-being, she says.
That oppressive attitude, Carter feels, established the conditions for abusive behavior.
She, like other Black Flea artists, mentioned that Ostrow had particular problems in communicating with Bats.
Some said plainly they felt she was racist.
The administration takes these concerns seriously.
We decided to take our power back, she says.
We reclaimed our time.
It was one of the most inspiring things ever, says Smith, proudly.
Importantly,they also made it public.
Two days later, Smith and Ostrowreleased the Fleas statement.
They accepted full responsibility for the intersection of racism, sexism, and pay inequity.
All artists would henceforth be paid.
And, perhaps most importantly, resident artists would be given some kind of presence on the board.
This is where we failed ourselves as an institution, he says.
He has been taking long walks, reading the letters and testimonials again and again.
The best advice Ive gotten recently, he says, is dont listen to respond; listen to understand.
Its one thing being asked to participate.
Its another thing to be given the opportunity to say, This is what Im participating in.
The statement itself is necessarily short on details.
Its a beginning announcement, stresses Smith.
I want to be clear, says Pereira.
This is all fueled by our love for the Flea.
So much good has come from the Flea.
We love it so fiercely thats why were working so hard.
The whole project might collapse were in the middle of ten national crises at once.
