Washington Post: Scott Rudin “stepping back” from Broadway ventures

[DaveyG]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:09am

Washington Post

Updated On: 4/17/21 at 11:09 AM

[musikman]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:14am

Wow. WOW. I did not expect this, especially this quickly

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:22am

DaveyG said: "Washington Post"

Partial statement from Rudin:

"Much has been written about my history of troubling interactions with colleagues, and I am profoundly sorry for the pain my behavior caused to individuals, directly and indirectly"

“After a period of reflection, I’ve made the decision to step back from active participation on our Broadway productions, effective immediately. My roles will be filled by others from the Broadway community and in a number of cases, from the roster of participants already in place on those shows.”

“My passionate hope and expectation is that Broadway will reopen successfully very soon, and that the many talented artists associated with it will once again begin to thrive and share their artistry with the world. I do not want any controversy associated with me to interrupt Broadway’s well deserved return, or specifically, the return of the 1500 people working on these shows.”

So, a little vague on how long he will be stepping back.

In the short term I imagine there won't be much impact on existing productions that he's financed, but I do wonder if this will have longer-term consequences and if he will produce fewer shows, perhaps focusing more on film.

My main concern here is that Broadway was already becoming corporatized and I feel pushing out (even if justifiably) one of the more interesting independent producers will just hasten its transition to an all-Disney medium. There are of course more independent producers that will surely backfill the openings but it's hard to deny his consistent contributions.

But also, it will be fine. It's always fine.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:24am

musikman said: "Wow. WOW. I did not expect this, especially this quickly"

I did, and said so a few days ago, but there are, I think, a couple of major takeaways that have nothing to do with Rudin. First, people with power and influence rarely operate in the public eye. Those crickets occlude the cicadas you can't here. Second, this result should energize both solid journalism and the many people who have bravely stepped forward and demanded that injustice be confronted and that integrity become the lodestar.

[jv92]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:31am

ctorres, I am on the same page as you with concerns about a corporatized commercial theatre in NY. I do have hope that independent creative producers in the Hal Prince mode (eg, Orin Wolf, a protege of Hal’s) will carry on, too. There’s enough of them out there. 

In the case of Rudin, it’s the right move. I hope the next generation of theatre producers behave more like gentlemen and ladies, with kindness, enthusiasm, decorum, as well as grit, determination and drive. It’s possible to be creative and have a strong will and not throw potatoes at people... 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:33am

"Rudin had a sizable slate of projects in the work, and his move appears intended to allow those projects to proceed without the distraction of protests about his behavior."

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/17/theater/scott-rudin-steps-away-from-broadway.html

[musikman]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:34am

HogansHero said: "musikman said: "Wow. WOW. I did not expect this, especially this quickly"

I did, and said so a few days ago, but there are, I think, a couple of major takeaways that have nothing to do with Rudin. First, people with power and influence rarely operate in the public eye. Those crickets occlude the cicadas you can't here. Second, this result should energize both solid journalism and the many people who have bravely stepped forward and demanded that injustice be confronted and that integrity become the lodestar."

I think we’ve been accustomed as of late - especially post MeToo - to see a wide range of people calling out for someone’s removal, or a swelling chorus of voices (pun slightly intended?) until it reaches a point where the accused has to acknowledge what happened and either weather the storm or resigns/quits. I honestly thought with all the silence that this would just blow over like it never happened. 
 

I suppose we shall see how far exactly he is “stepping away.”

you’re also 100% correct regarding it energizing this kind of journalism

[HogansHero]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:35am

ctorres23 said: "So, a little vague on how long he will be stepping back.
 

I don't see how it could not be vague. The sort of therapy he needs will likely take years. Before he can return, he will need redemption, something I believe in by the way. 


In the short term I imagine there won't be much impact on existing productions that he's financed, but I do wonder if this will have longer-term consequences and if he will produce fewer shows, perhaps focusing more on film.

First of all, he has not financed these shows, he has produced them. This is going to have long term consequences, as I explained above. This is not just a quick suspension. By the terms of what he said, this applies to theatre and not film but "we shall see" seems the operative posture. Note also that Ms. Siegel is a film person, not a theatre person, and that his office was not bifurcated, so it is not unimaginable that there will be more forthcoming depending on how he proceeds. At his age, I think it is possible he may just slow down, bearing in mind that for him, operating at 10% of his previous pace would be closer to "normal." Thos 5AM phone calls were real. 


My main concern here is that Broadway was already becoming corporatized and I feel pushing out (even if justifiably) one of the more interesting independent producers will just hasten its transition to an all-Disney medium. There are of course more independent producers that will surely backfill the openings but it's hard to deny his consistent contributions.

I don't think corporations will fill Rudin's void, which rarely if ever strayed into the territory of interest to corporations. His absence will be felt for sure though.  

But also, it will be fine. It's always fine."

Of course. 

[JennH]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:41am

HogansHero said: "musikman said: "Wow. WOW. I did not expect this, especially this quickly"

I did, and said so a few days ago, but there are, I think, a couple of major takeaways that have nothing to do with Rudin. First, people with power and influence rarely operate in the public eye. Those crickets occlude the cicadas you can't here. Second, this result should energize both solid journalism and the many people who have bravely stepped forward and demanded that injustice be confronted and that integrity become the lodestar."

Firstly, your crickets v cicadas analogy is brilliant. 

Secondly, I don't GARA about his apology. People in power only apologize when they're caught and called out. Genuine apologies require self awareness and if he WERE self aware, he'd have stopped years ago, ergo an apology wouldn't even be needed in the public eye. Of course I"d rather this happen than not at all, but fake/roundabout/'got caught' apologies are still a huge pet peeve of mine. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:55am

@Jenn agree about the suspect nature of the apology. To me it is too soon to tell definitively. This could be all PR and strategy, or it could be that he had something close to a nervous breakdown. Yes he could have apologized long ago but that assumes that his mental health issues/illnesses would not have suppressed doing the right thing. And tbc no one who has had even a tangential interaction with him over the years was not aware of those issues and it does not require a mental health background to quickly locate at least a few diagnoses in the DSM. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 11:58am

The only vagueness is about any financial stake he might retain in those shows. Which may vary from show to show but I imagine he will retain at least a limited stake in a few shows for putting them together.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:01pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "The only vagueness is about any financial stake he might retain in those shows. Which may vary from show to show but I imagine he will retain at least a limited stake in a few shows for putting them together."

I do not think it is vague at all that he will continue to participate in the profits of the shows he has produced.

[bear88]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:02pm

It's hard and probably foolish to predict the implications of this decision, but I suspect it will be more significant than it might first seem. For one thing, other people are likely to find the courage to step forward about their own experiences and more big names are likely to demand Rudin do more than just temporarily step aside. 

We're not really in a redemption era at the moment, at least in the world in which Rudin operates. We're not a "no second acts in American lives" era.

Rudin's impact on Broadway is quite outsized, and I do worry that future producers won't be quite as willing to put their clout behind riskier shows. 

That Hollywood Reporter story was an impressive piece of journalism. 

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:08pm

JennH said: "Secondly, I don't GARA about his apology. People in power only apologize when they're caught and called out. Genuine apologiesrequireself awareness and if he WERE self aware, he'd have stopped years ago, ergo an apology wouldn't even be needed in the public eye. Of course I"d rather this happen than not at all, but fake/roundabout/'got caught' apologies are still a huge pet peeve of mine."

One of the hallmarks of #MeToo is that people accused of bad behavior always apologize, and a large contingent of the vocal public simply doesn't accept it. Doesn't matter how sincere it is. There is simply no remediation for these people, and the only thing they'll accept is basically for the accused to stop working entirely and then, later, die (and then they'll dance on their grave on Twitter).

HogansHero said: "First of all, he has not financed these shows, he has produced them."

I'll admit to being a bit of ignorant of the distinction here. Mind clarifying for me? My understanding is that producers are responsible for securing money, somehow — either through third party connections or by fronting the money themselves. Is that right? Is Rudin the former rather than the latter?

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:10pm

I wonder if he's simply going to retreat to Hollywood, 

[Joshua Rosenthal]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:15pm

About damn time. I’m happy that entitled pr¡¢k has been racing retaliation for his behavior. Imagine being so entitled and idiotic to think you can behave this way and NOT have it hire you back eventually, especially in this day in age where it is so easy and much more common for celebs to face backlash In the public eye.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:15pm

poisonivy2 said: "I wonder if he's simply going to retreat to Hollywood,"

His stature in Hollywood is much diminished compared to the 90s and 00s. He does mostly independent films now with A24 and IAC. Broadway "needed" him more than Hollywood. If he's viewed as unpopular to work for, stars may think twice if his name is attached to a film. Nobody wants to be playing damage control over a producer.

Updated On: 4/17/21 at 12:15 PM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:18pm

The more glaring issue to me is that now his “friends” are off the hook to speak out because he has made this statement. Until he spoke, the A-listers were all sweating. Now you can guarantee none of them will say a word. It actually illuminates the bigger problem-those with power won’t speak up or stick their necks out for “underlings.” If someone asks Whoopi, Bette etc they will easily defer to this statement and say he has addressed it and is working on it.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:21pm

HogansHero said: "I do not think it is vague at all that he will continue to participate in the profits of the shows he has produced."

Right –– which means that I don't think the protests will go away if he is brain cancer and his announcement is the equivalent of taking a Tylenol. Of course, whether or not he has an official stake in a show, his cronies could still continue to cut him in from their shares. I suspect there will be more news investigations as Broadway begins to reopen. 

Safe to assume that SR also knows there are other skeletons in his closet, and this announcement is step 1 of trying to get ahead of the media cycle.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:31pm

I wonder who exactly will be taking over his producing responsibilities on his current projects

[showman91]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:31pm

I know this is cynical, but he has industry backing and a PR machine at his disposal. Every move is calculated. It needs to be considered that his vague apology now is to 1) stave off more damaging stories once TMM is already in rehearsals and 2) preserve his relationships in the industry for a comeback later. By the latter I mean, he is better off nipping it in the bud and apologizing before there is the chance of more well-known people in the industry swearing off working with him in the future.

 

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:35pm

As I said in the other thread...

This template apology is predictable. What does stepping back mean? Does he still make money of these productions? And or future productions and he’s just a “ghost” producer?

[unclevictor]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:38pm

Hmmmm...I don’t know what to think about his statement/apology. It is a bit vague... he’s stepping back... but is he still profiting from his shows? (Yes) Is his name going to be all over Music Man?
Maybe he’ll make another statement!

[Kad]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:48pm

The most important part of an apology is concrete action. Rudin's apology is indeed pretty vague on that front- "stepping back" could mean many things, and there is also no word on what, exactly, Rudin will be doing to treat his behavior. Will he go into therapy? Will his production office be restructured, and will it hire an HR manager?

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:51pm

Just take a look at Karen’s story. Example shared of someone else doing similar things when abuse comes out, stepping back, but ultimately still having control and making profit off the work of those they abused.

As Karen’s story emphasized, the fight isn’t over just because he issue this vague statement.

Updated On: 4/17/21 at 12:51 PM