Anonymous Complaint Derails Burning Coal Theatre Company Female Directing Initiative

According to a report on INDYWeek, an endeavor to hire female directors for upcoming 2017 productions, initiated by nine North Carolina theater companies as a response to the misogynistic rhetoric of the 2016 presidential election, has been somewhat derailed by a mysterious complaint from an individual claiming to be a "tax-paying citizen" of Raleigh.

Companies slated to partake in the initiative included Black Ops Theatre Company, Honest Pint Theatre, Justice Theater Project, Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern, North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre, Sonorous Road Productions, Temple Theatre, and the Women's Theatre Festival.

On Wednesday morning, a complaint filed with Sarah Powers, executive director at the Office of Raleigh Arts, by a source claiming to be a Raleigh resident by the name of Matthew Davis, alleged that the initiative is in violation of the city's nondiscrimination policy.

The complaint stated that "because of my gender, I will not have an opportunity to direct one of [Justice Theater Project]'s shows in the coming year. ... This is not what we should be doing as a community. It is wrong. We are not this." It also requested that the city withhold all funds to the Justice Theater Project until "they agree to hire directors in a non-discriminatory manner."

Two other companies included in the initiative, Burning Coal and North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre, also receive city funding.

On Thursday evening, Justice Theater Project announced its withdrawal from the project. Managing director, Melissa Zeph, stated: "Since we have a woman artistic director who directs most of our shows, it was very easy for us to say yes to the alliance, but we already had men lined up to direct some key shows," Upon reflection, we don't feel comfortable with the wording of the alliance's initial missive. It was never our intent to discriminate against any entity."

In an overnight email after JTP's response, Matthew Davis wrote, "We are all on the same page now. As I have no further grievance with the company, I consider the matter settled."

However, Thursday and Friday have seen questions arising regarding the complainant's true identity. E-mails sent to Justice Theater Project, the Office of Raleigh Arts, and the INDY identity of the writer as "a Raleigh taxpayer," The name, though unconfirmed, is attached to an account for Matthew Davis.

When contacted, the complainant refused requests for interview and refused to confidentially confirm their identity as a Raleigh resident. As of Friday morning, the email account used to send the complaint has been deleted.

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