Laura, peace and strength to all of you.

Oy. Well, better youthful awkwardness than some skeevy guy.

Yeah, but given recent events I'm feeling like I should try to explain to him why that isn't cool. I wish I knew how to do that. And it's so much harder to define that line in a theatre environment.

Yeah, I don't know how to address that kind of quick joke in passing, but not addressing it is clearly not the best. Will think on it.

And it's so much harder to define that line in a theatre environment.

Oh, yes. The local theater community has been working on a Code of Conduct, to be published on Theater Bay Area's website, and Recent Events have definitely pushed up that timeline, but it's so difficult. Theater's an area where boundaries have to constantly be re-drawn, and enforcing personal boundaries can become a minefield.

Lura, much love to you and yours.

Yeah, and that's where having a clear code is really valuable, where "you know it when you see it" is murkier and not everyone sees the same thing.

The Chicago community is trying to build a code of conduct [link] in response to the Profiles Theatre stuff.

Test batch of skull-shaped calzones (pepperoni) came out pretty good! The charred cheese that escaped the bread ads to the harm, I think. Next up, mushroom in garlic-herb crust.

Completely unrelated: the Geico lemonade stand ad is cracking me up.

My phone just spoiled me for the end of the game I was watching stream live. Weird.

Whoa, that article about Profiles is seriously upsetting. Years ago SCR fired the male lead in a mainstage show because both the female leads were concerned that he was getting TOO into character and might go too far in a fight scene. He never did and I was only ASM at that point but we took those concerns very seriously. They immediately hired an understudy (no roles were normally understudied there) while trying to mediate, and in less than a week that understudy was in the lead role, less than a week before tech. I was really pleased that the situation was handled in a way I felt fully appropriate. The concerns were shared with the male lead in a private meeting by the director (who was also the AD of the theatre) with the SM and PM present (all men, it was a closed door meeting of four dudes) and he was given a week to change his behaviours with very clear repercussions. He was PISSED and the anger kept overflowing into the rehearsal space until he finally stormed out. We were all very happy to see him gone. He was mostly a screen actor who hadn't much stage work and I'm quite sure that he wouldn't have been consistently safe onstage for the duration of the run. Theatre requires physical and emotional stamina as well staying in full control throughout...not many people can keep doing that safely in a violent, rage-full role. His replacement was a founding member of the theatre with decades of stage experience who was beloved and fully trusted by everyone involved in the show. He didn't have the "star power" but by golly he was a much better choice for the production.

erin, it's good that SCR made that choice. The Profiles situation was pretty horrifying. I don't expect Chicago will see Darrell Cox around again, but I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to set up somewhere else. People need to know that story.