Abbeville Opera House Guest Director Let Go Amidst Racism Allegations

Abbeville Opera House guest director Jimmy O. Burdette has been let go due to allegations of racism, causing the cancellation of the venue's 2020-21 theatrical season, Index-Journal reports.

Crystal Marie Stewart, an actress with ties to Greenville, posted on Facebook that Burdette was racist, citing a photo of him with a Confederate flag, and other photos from his personal account.

Burdette said that he does not know Stewart, and that no one contacted him ahead of time about his posts.

"I've been putting my political views on Facebook, but if somebody told me that was an issue and to take it down, I would have," he said. "I've been involved with theater my whole life and worked with actors and music directors of all skin colors."

The Abbeville Opera House released the following statement on Facebook:

As many of you are aware, the City of Abbeville made the decision to cancel the upcoming theatrical season at the Opera House on Monday and would like to take this opportunity to issue a more clear and concise statement.

While we understand that many are shocked and saddened by this decision, it was the only course possible given the circumstances. The City of Abbeville nor the Abbeville Opera House publicly discuss the details of personnel issues and will continue to abide by that policy at this time, other than to say that a personnel matter has been addressed which caused the immediate interruption of the upcoming season...

Read more on Index-Journal.