Broadway Casting Director Fired for Sexual Misconduct

[bwaylvsong]

@Feste, totally! But that doesn't make it less surprising.
@Trish2, I did not know that and assumed from context that he was single. How terrible for his family. My admittedly obtuse comment was my gut response when first hearing the news and simply due to my surprise that it was Justin, and not other [significantly less attractive] casting directors who one would assume to be more likely to use their power to get sex since it might be their only chance of doing so.

[BroadwayConcierge]

elephantseye said: "https://twitter.com/MsLeaSalonga/status/936462119565971456"

Dear God. I can't even begin to think who's about to be outed in the Times tomorrow morning...

[Feste]

BroadwayConcierge said: "elephantseye said: "https://twitter.com/MsLeaSalonga/status/936462119565971456"

Dear God. I can't even begin to think who's about to be outed in theTimestomorrow morning..."

 

I really hope it's not someone I know and/or admire.  But I hope it does do some good towards making people think about and stopping such behavior in future, and healing past victims. 

 

[bwaylvsong]

Thank you, BroadwayBoy, that makes a lot of sense.  And yes, I've always wondered why Telsey seems to cast more than half of Broadway musicals.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Unless you actually work on Broadway this is such a non-story. No one outside of people who read variety will care about this, even when a story appears in the NY Times.  And it doesn't matter if you call them agents or whatever unless Lin Mauel was raping children in his dressing room, no one will care.  Remember James Barbour?  And years ago there was a brouha about Les Mis and that guy is still a high profile Director with major Divas.   With higher profile people being accused A Broadway casting  (person) is a nobody. Heads may roll but the Story will go on and on and on. We all know someone who slept their way to the chorus and lived to regret it.

[Dancingthrulife2]

bwaylvsong said: "As a frequently auditioning actor, I am not surprised that this sort of thing has happened in general but AM surprised that it's Justin of all people. He has always seemed very nice and is frankly attractive enough that he should be able to get just about anyone he wants without resorting to misconduct."

Well, Kevin Spacey is also (arguably) attractive. Look how that turned out. I do believe attractive people can get a lot of things, including people, more easily, but sexual assault stems from the assumption that more power equals less liability. The assaulters take advantage of people because they think they can get away with it.

[adamgreer]

If it’s running today’s Times, it’s not online yet, least not as far as I can find.

[DaveyG]

I believe it’ll be released around 8:30 EST.

[dramamama611]

^That's what I heard, too.   8:30.

[Kad]

That’s what I’ve been seeing, too. I’ve never heard of a release time for an article so I’m dubious.

[Call_me_jorge]

This is kind of off topic, but I’ve always wondered why casting agencies exist. Why can’t shows cast with their own personel? Like shows already have a plethora in of resident/assistant/associate directors/choreographers and stage managers that can be used for casting.

[Kad]

Because it’s more efficient to contract an outside office that is dedicated solely to cataloging and bringing in actors to be seen. The resources at the disposal of a casting office like Telsey far exceed anything offered by an individual.

[CurtainPullDowner]

The Casting Agencies (where casting "agents" work) make casting easier for Directors and Producers, they "weed" out the field and send the right "types" to auditions. In today's market the number of Actors auditioning can be staggering so they are useful but not always necessary, in let's say a 2 or 4 person show.

 

[Lot666]

bwaylvsong said: "Guys, it's office. Casting office. Not casting agency. There are casting directors and talent agents. Confusing the terminology makes those of us in the industry assume you have no idea what you're talking about."

[Stage Door Sally]

Makes you wonder a bit more what went on behind the scenes previously.

http://www.playbill.com/article/the-audition-that-led-a-casting-director-and-an-actor-to-love-marriage-and-a-newborn

 

[newintown]

"The Casting Agencies (where casting "agents" work) make casting easier for Directors and Producers, they "weed" out the field and send the right "types" to auditions."

Well, that's the theory. In practice, casting staff have their own favorites who they help along. In my observation, the biggest service casting offices provide (in the theatre) is administrative - scheduling, coordinating materials, etc. But as far as knowing who the "right" types are, their sense of taste is as subjective as anyone else's, and sometimes can be at cross purposes with a director or producer's ideas of what they seek.

[MyLife]

bwaylvsong said: "As a frequently auditioning actor, I am not surprised that this sort of thing has happened in general but AM surprised that it's Justin of all people. He has always seemed very nice and is frankly attractive enough that he should be able to get just about anyone he wants without resorting to misconduct."


That's the most foolish and naive statement I've read on these boards, and there's a lot of dumb on here. Power leads to sexual harassment and that power can stem from money, attractiveness, narcissism, or anything! "I'm attractive. I know it. You should know it too. No one can say no to me."  How about the fact that he's married and has a child? Surely that should not lead to misconduct.

Please take a look at what you said.

 

[thebookofwhizzer]

I know I'm definitely late but- when should the article be up? I saw 8:30 but I'm not sure if they meant AM or PM. 

[henrikegerman]

SweetLips said: "What is going on here?----have we gone back to the days of the witch hunt, commies in Hollywood, KKK[still there with the Trump Trumpters]?

It never would work because newspapers want a sale but surely naming a person for misconduct before a trial should not be allowed.

Once a name is printed, it can never be unprinted.

I think it very sad if accusations are proven but equally as sad if a name is printed 'for the sake of'.

No news in 'an usher touched me as he/she was showing me to my seat last night'."

I'm not sure what you are suggesting.  That investigative reporting not be revealed until there's a conviction?  That the press shouldn't cover even charges being brought or the course of a trial until there is a conviction?  That we should, for instance, never have become aware of charges of wrongdoing before anyone was convicted - if that ever came to pass?  That such a rule would somehow not violate the freedom of the press?  That, for instance, we should have no knowledge of any of the multiple allegations - and not just sexual ones - against public and private figures - until they have actually been adjudicated as guilty?

I'm completely sympathetic to acknowledging the unfairness to people of having their names dragged through the mud before the charges against them have been fully litigated.

But I don't understand what the you are suggesting would be.  Nor do I understand how that alternative would benefit the public - would everything be done in secret until such time as there might be a final judgement? - or how that alternative could possibly be consistent with freedom of speech and press.  

Should we, for instance, have never have made aware about the multitude of sexual allegations against Trump until after the election?
Would that have been a good thing?

All that being said, i do have a problem with the Variety reporting.
"Sexual misconduct" is a) a conclusion and b) can encompass a wide variety of allegations, some of them extremely egregious, others fairly mild.  Juanita Broaddrick's allegation that Bill Clinton raped her and Lee Ann Tweedon's allegation that Al Franken manipulatively put his tongue in her mouth while rehearsing a sexy scene are both allegations of sexual misconduct.   But comparing them is like comparing armed robbery to attempted petty theft of services (and no I am not comparing sexual misconduct to larceny in any other way than to simply illustrate that in both contexts not all claims are equal).  They should both be taken seriously, but they are not the same thing.

I understand this is all Variety may have to go on at this point.  But before we engage in mob attacks on Huff, perhaps we should hear what the allegations are and not assume that they are the most egregious or presume that they are unimpeachable.  There is still a process in which we should all be thinking about the facts that are presented to us, both in courts of law and in courts of public opinion.  

 

[adamgreer]

thebookofwhizzer said: "I know I'm definitely late but- when should the article be up? I saw 8:30 but I'm not sure if they meant AM or PM."

I can't imagine it would be released at 8:30 PM on a Friday night, but maybe I'm wrong.

[dramamama611]

It was said 8:30AM

[nasty_khakis]

Sadly, I knew it was Justin before I even clicked the link to open the article. I interned at Telsey and he was always pleasant with me, liked my ideas for the lists we had to make for castings, etc etc. He did or said nothing inappropriate with me. However, in the ten years since then I've heard numerous stories of him saying really creepy things to guys during auditions. 

[alliez92092]

I'm wondering if they're holding off a bit more to give full coverage to the breaking news on Michael Flynn.

[bwaylvsong]

@DancingThruLife and MyLife, that was my gut reaction to the news. I admitted the statement was obtuse and understand that these actions are all about abuse of power. But it's human nature to INITIALLY think "him?! Why would he need to that?!" It was foolish of me to post so quickly, but I know I'm not the only actor to have that gut reaction (I texted a friend last night who said "that's what I said!").
@Lot666 the frequent misuse of the terminology in this thread is akin to the "cast recording" vs "soundtrack" dialogue frequently on this board. You will never hear someone in the industry say "casting agent" since that's not a thing. I was just trying to educate.

[Call_me_jorge]

nasty_khakis said: "Sadly, I knew it was Justin before I even clicked the link to open the article. I interned at Telsey and he was always pleasant with me, liked my ideas for the lists we had to make for castings, etc etc. He did or said nothing inappropriate with me. However, in the ten years since then I've heard numerous stories of him saying really creepy things to boys during auditions."

To boys as in children?