Maiden Phoenix Theatre Company did NOT have a good experience in Powder House Park

[ron_newman]

Erin Butcher, artistic director of Maiden Phoenix Theatre Company, posted a long essay to Facebook about her experience producing The Winter's Tale outdoors in Powder House Park this summer. I am reposting it here with her permission, because we live here and this shouldn't be happening to people in our community.

Musings from our Second Season Part 1:
Why I will never do another All- Female outdoor show again.

My company’s second season has come to a close. We produced 2 all- female shows: The Winter’s Tale by Mr. Shakespeare and Miss Penitentiary by Laura Neubauer. These shows were put up quite close to one another time-wise which made for a very high stress few months. And now that it’s over I have a bit of time to reflect, think about what I learned, and plan our next step.

One thing I know for sure.

I am never producing another outdoor All- female show again. Ever. And neither should you.

Let me explain.

There were a number of challenges I foresaw in doing our first outdoor show and only our second show ever. The park in Somerville we chose to use was lovely and conveniently located, but we had no access to storage, bathrooms, or electricity and the City of Somerville was incredibly unhelpful in regards to all these things. These were issues I knew I would have to deal with, but the worst problems were the ones I never could have anticipated.

Because we produced the show in a public park- it had to be free and open to the public- totally fair. What I did not anticipate was the “public” I would be dealing with. This show was cast with a group of 10, mostly 20-something women. The director was female, most of the designers were female, our Stage Manager was female and myself and the two other members of my company were female.

And hey- that was great- that is our mission after all. To give opportunity to female theatre artists. But what that meant was that… there were no men. None. It was young ladies as far as the eye could see in that park without any male company… well except for the aforementioned “public”

Vaguely, in the back of my head I must have known that a few homeless fellows would populate a public park in summer every now and then. But I really didn’t think much of it. I would be there every day anyway if there were any problems, and I had very rarely ever been approached by any homeless people in Somerville in my 4 years of living there… so it would be fine….

It was not fine.

Because these men (and I say men not to point fingers but because every single one of them was, in fact, a man) were not just homeless, or were perhaps not homeless at all… but they were often drunk or high. We are in the middle of an opiod crisis in Massachusetts after all. So there we were, 15 or so young women in a park going about our theatre business. It wasn’t long before the men who would drink or shoot-up in the park began to approach us. Some would try to move or touch the set (because us little ladies should not be lifting such heavy things), try to talk to the girls while they were backstage during the show, or would just park it right behind the backstage area and sit there. For hours. One of them 8 hours straight one day. Just sat there behind them. Watching them.

After talking to the local police about the issue (who came by the park a grand total of ONCE throughout or entire 3 week run of the show) They told me there was really nothing I could do about the issue. It was a public park and so long as these men were not physically doing anything wrong they were allowed to stay. Simply making us all uncomfortable was not a reason to ask the police to remove them. Having to deal with men, under the influence, by myself, in a park was not something I was prepared for. And seeing as I am the Artistic Director of this company- the buck stops here- if there is a problem, in the end, it is up to me to solve it.

But how to solve it? I had some very unhappy actors on my hands. Actors who were being leered at and approached by strange, often intoxicated, men. They did not want any of their belongings left unattended- understandably- which meant that at least one member of my already thin staff had to be there, watching these men watch them every day.

The few times I approached these men to ask them to move, or stop being loud, or sit with the rest of the audience while the show was going on I was met with a level of aggression I was not prepared for.

Living in liberal Massachusetts, doing theatre, and working in an all female work environment, means that these days I don’t often come across too many openly misogynistic men. But these guys- oh man- they did not trow with this freckle-faced little girl telling them to do a damn thing in anything resembling an authoritative voice. They would yell back at my request and I would immediately back down. Then I would quickly change to the safest possible tactic- flirting. And you know…. that’s gross. It was awful. It felt gross. It still makes me angry even thinking about it. The fact that the only workable tool at my disposal to diffuse that situation was to put on a big ole smile, apologize profusely for being so silly, and gently manipulate them in my girliest, highest pitched of voices to do what I wanted- tossing my hair all the while.

If you are a man reading this- you can’t know what that’s like. Having to lower yourself to flirting and smiling at a man who you find frightening and repulsive in order to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you. It is humiliating and demeaning, and true- no one made me do it- but I don’t really think I had any other tools at my disposal in that moment. Engaging them at their level of aggression would not end well. For however strong and smart and capable I feel on the inside, I am still 5’6” and 120 lbs on the outside up against a man twice my size who is getting angry and already in an altered state of mind.

And as much as I hated doing it, and as much as I hate admitting it, it is and was the only way to deal with that particular breed of Angry White Male. Because even men whose lives are in shambles, who have nowhere to go but a public park, and nothing to kill the pain but these substances STILL believe themselves to be above women. Still believe that as a woman I must interact with them in a certain way that maintains these gender roles. And that they have the RIGHT to leer at young women any damn time they please, especially if there are no other men around to stop them.

And that’s the thing. There were no other men around. The only thing these men would respond to was other men.

Example: By the end of the run I had taken to asking my boyfriend to come to all the shows he could simply to sit backstage and discourage these men from approaching the girls. It worked. They were gone. And as he sat up there one day, myself and my female usher, sat at the Front of House Tent until the audience moved for Act 2. And up walks this man. Drunk. Scary. And carrying a very large something under his shirt. He pulled it out to reveal a giant handle of whiskey that he had “found on the street” And began to regale us with tales of his drinking- of men had had suddenly decided to beat the crap out of in bars- of how no one messed with him. He stayed there at the table talking at us for a good fifteen minutes and all of our quite smiling and gentle encouragement for him to leave was not working. I suppose I could have asked him to leave- but my though was- “this man is clearly unstable and drunk, what might he do if I upset him? What else might he have under that shirt?” So I texted my boyfriend to come down to us. And the second he appeared the guy scampered off quick.

And that just proved to me even more- these men know what they are doing. They know that this behavior is not acceptable but, they believe they have a right to my attention, to my time, and to look at my body as much as they want no matter how uncomfortable it makes me.

The bottom line is, its sad, but it is not safe to do an all- female show in a pubic park. Not safe for my actors or for me. If we had had even one or two men in the cast I know the experience would have been different. Isn’t that sad?

Even in 2015 it is still not safe- even in broad daylight- to be female in public…. unless your boyfriend’s there.

And just so I don’t leave this all wallowing in victimhood let me add- it was still a great show. We brought art to a community that lacked it. We showed women in strong dynamic leading roles to people that were not usual theatre-goers. This is how I fight that system. There will always be people at your work, in your town, in your government who do not see women, minorites, people with disabilities, as beings with thoughts and feelings as acute and complex as their own. But the more we stand up in front of the world- do the work- and speak the speech, the faster things will change. I will not be silenced. I may not do another outdoor all-female show but, I’m not through fighting yet to make women’s stories more visible. I’ve barely even started.

Comments

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

I wonder if dietrich has any comments about this.

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

I was there for some of this, yes. The most egregious parts, I think I may have been out of town / not called to rehearsal for.

Like Juliet, I have the advantage (?) of being a sizeable woman. While I have been street harrassed ever (mostly when I was in my twenties and walking to and from work in professional gear), I tend to get it less, I think because of my size (for reference to those who don't know: I'm about six feet tall and 195, and probably look like I'm not worth it as a target). That being said, I've been catcalled, groped on the street, groped in a mosh pit, followed by strange men, hit on aggressively in bars even following a clear no...I know this game. After all, I'm a woman.

Had I been at more rehearsals or encountered this more often, I probably also would have done some of the chasing-off of people. As it was, the guys in the park largely didn't approach or cross me. (I also have a rabid-dog reaction to such things where my sisters are concerned; ask any of my female friends what happens when someone gets too aggressive with them in my presence.)

Regardless of any of this...yes, the situation was screwed up. We didn't have protection, we didn't have enough staff, we didn't have the support of the city (in fact, they almost scheduled a community movie night in the park over our final dress rehearsal). Besides As You Like It - the play people are talking about below that happened in Seven Hills Park, about which more in the appropriate thread - this was the hardest play I've ever done for a number of reasons. The physical setting was certainly number one.

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

As a long-standing member of Theatre@First, a participant of ArtBeat, and a former resident of Somerville, I felt insulted by the statement "We brought art to a community that lacked it."

[ron_newman]

That is an unfortunate statement (which I missed entirely on first reading), but I hope we can put it aside and address the main point here.

[aphrabehn.livejournal.com]

Juliet here - the Leontes Ron mentioned who posted this today. As a long time supporter and participant in T@F and the PMRP, I get your point. That said, I'm a little surprised that the responses here are what they are. We can share our feelings of being insulted.

[erin eva butcher (from livejournal.com)]

This is Erin writer of the post and AD of MPTC. I would like to further explain that line- because I have no wish to insult the great work that Theatre @ First does in Somerville. I merely meant that there really isn't a large amount theater in Somerville generally. There are only a few available venues and Theatre @First is, as far as I know, the only company in the Greater Boston Area that makes its home in Somerville. Theatre @ First does great work and has, what I'm sure will be, a fantastic Importance of Being Earnest coming up soon directed by my dear friend Ron Lacey, but I think we could all agree that Somerville could use more theatre in general. One company is hardly an abundance compared what is all around Boston, and in that park specifically many residents told me that had not known there to be performances of that nature there before. So I do apologize for any offense. That was not my intention.

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

Putting aside that distraction, have there been similar statements from the cast and crew?

[ron_newman]

I don't know, but I found this essay after Juliet Bowler (Leontes) reposted it on her own Facebook page today.

[wintahill.livejournal.com]

Seems like they ran into some problems with their production which is unfortunate. The arts are great addition to the city and should be supported when reasonably possible.

But, people are surprised that there are drunk and high people on the streets of Somerville and that they congregate in parks and other public spaces? That is nothing new if you have lived here for a while.

[aphrabehn.livejournal.com]

Hiya, I'm Juliet, the Leontes in the production Ron mentioned. No one was surprised. It was anticipated to an extent. What was shocking was the intensity, consistency and magnitude of the problem. As a fairly intimidating woman, I had to intervene multiple times when smaller, younger castmates were being approached, touched, verbally intimidated and harassed. Ron initially noticed my sharing this post about our production because I shared a story from last night, when I was touched inappropriately and then verbally and sexually harassed on the train.

So, with respect, I appreciate your response, but whether or not we were surprised is not the issue. The issue is we were made to feel threatened and unsafe.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

That is all quite unfortunate, and I am really sorry that the stupidity of sexism and cultural patriarchy landed square on their heads.

While sexism is not specific to Somerville, looking at the Somerville-specific things, I'd be very curious to see how this compared to experiences of the folks at the aforementioned Theatre @ First's experience of doing an outdoor version of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" a few years ago. The environment at the Linear Park is very different than Powderhouse, but I'm curious how their experiences (modulo the gender issues) were similar or different.

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

I admit that it helped that it was a co-ed production, and Brad Smith can tower over/scare off any potential drunken assholes.
Having said that, it was in the middle of Davis Square with a high concentration of drunkenness.

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

Hi! I directed that production.

We had a very...interesting...dress rehearsal during which several somewhat drunken guys were passing through, then stopped and watched. At first I was concerned as they were disruptive and loud, but after the aforementioned imposing woman talked to them, they calmed down and in fact watched the entire second half and loved it.

I will say that they continued to say stuff aloud, commenting on the actors, the plot, and other stuff, and much of the time their comments toward the women in the production (particularly our Phebe, who was dressed like a townie from Revere) were offensive. But I don't believe that anyone ever felt threatened or like things were out of hand. As mentioned above, the park is very open and well-travelled, and the cast and crew were plentiful and multi-gendered.

Dealing with the city of Somerville was not so easy, from what I understand, though my TD muffyjo did most of that. It seems largely like a they-don't-give-a-shit / they-don't-have-funding thing, though, rather than a hostile-to-the-arts thing. Still, they really ought to do a lot better, given their reputation as an arts-loving community.

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

I really appreciated Erin's posting about their experience. It is tempting, when you're a public-facing company, to keep bad experiences to yourselves. It is brave of her to discuss the negatives publicly and invite us all to think of ways that our community makes people feel unsafe.

When we did As You Like It in Seven Hills Park in 2011, we did have some disturbing interactions with people in the park, but nothing like what Erin describes here. I attribute this to 1) the more open nature of Seven Hills Park, with high volumes of people passing through along the bike path, and--although it had never occurred to me--2) the gender mix of our cast and crew. It's also the case that at least a couple of our crew are women of size and powerful charisma--one of these dealt successfully with a group of young men inclined to heckle a dress rehearsal.

We are in the early stages of planning a show to take place in the same park where Maiden Phoenix's show was performed and I have made sure that the director has seen this. Although we are again planning on a mixed-gender cast and crew, I think there are lessons for anyone planning an outdoor performance to take into account (secure storage for belongings, someone specifically tasked with dealing with the public at every rehearsal and performance, advance outreach to the police, etc.).

[ron_newman]

Although this is off the main point, I'm wondering why Maiden Phoenix wasn't able to make use of the Field House for secure storage of costumes and props, and as a backstage/green-room area. I hope your experience with the city (and specifically the parks department) is better.

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

That's really unfortunate. But I'm confused -- nobody was hurt and nothing was stolen, and she thinks that's a disaster? The need for more secure storage and some kind of heckler-deterrent sounds like a "lessons-learned" thing to take into next year's production, not a reason to give up.

[ron_newman]

The problems she outlined here go way beyond "heckling" during a performance. It sounds to me like much of the harassment occurred before the public shows, during preparation and rehearsals, and also backstage. No performer should have to put up with this.

That said, I don't want her to give up, either.

Public Drunkeness

[katiemwallace.livejournal.com]

As far as I know it is illegal to display public drunkenness, harass people, carry open bottles of alcohol, and use illegal drugs in a public park. Police tell such people to move along all the time. They didn't even have to arrest them, but they could have been a presence without forcing you to pay for a private security detail. This is disappointing and I hope you will send a letter or contact the chief of police directly.

[katiemwallace.livejournal.com]

Also...That park has a small building that has electricity and bathrooms. Why was this not made available to you? This city needs Leslie Snope and a Parks & Recreation Department.

[leafshimmer.livejournal.com]

It sounds horrific. I am so sorry you had to endure that when you were trying to have fun and share theatre with the people.

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

I am so horrendously saddened by this. The production was exceptional and it was such a pleasure to see an all female cast putting on one of my favorite plays in a genre more often relegated to all-male casts or mixed before female. I am so sorry for this negative experience and deeply deeply disgusted. It meant so much to me as a female scholar of Shakespeare to be able to enjoy such a production and to have had it sullied by what I can only say are pieces of entitled shit is horrible. To say I am surprised would be a total lie however. Toxic masculinity is prevalent and everywhere including -- and especially-- the arts. Sadly one cannot even blame "Oh some drunk was being a jerk" it is absolutely tied to the all-female nature of the presentation. Again I am saddened by this, and hope you reconsider such productions.

[siderea]

Erin, thank you for writing that, and Ron, thank you for bringing it to our attention.

commiseration, and some of my own experiences

[elizabeth weinbloom (from livejournal.com)]

I am dismayed and saddened by all that Erin relates here. I wish I were more surprised. I also wish I had anything constructive to offer other than commiseration and indignation at the lack of support from the police and the city. I fear that the city will take Maiden Phoenix's negative experience not as a reason to provide better support and security for similar projects, but instead as a reason to prohibit future such productions (or require private security, which for some budgets amounts to the same thing). I hope I am wrong about this.

In these last months of campaigning, I have spent an inordinate amount of time sitting alone in Davis Square. Ostensibly i was registering voters, or raising visibility, or flyering, but in practice that involved many long stretches of just being a woman sitting alone in a public square. As a result, I have had lengthy conversations with many of the people who live in or spend their days in the square. At no other point in my life have I made the time to really get to know any of the homeless people in my neighborhood, and I am glad the campaign gave me an opportunity to change that. I was also very lucky: I only had a very few interactions that felt unsafe, and all were pretty quickly de-escalated. After a certain point, having gotten to know the familiar faces around the square, I actually felt more generally safe, because I'd learned that the Davis Square regulars were pretty insular and would notice if I was being hassled by someone they didn't trust or who was unfamiliar. But of course, these relationships grew out of being in "candidate mode" -- a not-too-distant relative of the reflexive flirting that Erin described. In candidate mode, as a public figure in a public space, I had no choice but to be pleasant and open to everyone who wished to speak with me; I didn't have the option of declining to engage. I chose to be a public figure, of course. Erin and the other members of Maiden Phoenix, in putting on a show, were not choosing to be public figures. Nor is any woman who walks down the street or sits in a square. Yet these experiences are, for almost all of us, all too familiar.

I am aware that I could never have run the kind of campaign I did -- one in which my lean "staff" (I had no staff, only the occasional volunteer) meant many hours standing or walking around the neighborhood, alone, through dusk -- would have been impossible for me, as a woman, in a city less safe than Somerville. I'm grateful for the sense of safety that I did have, and pissed as hell to realize this is not at all true for potential female candidates (or street performers, or activists, or others whose business takes them to the streets) in other cities, or even in other parts of this city. And I'm pissed that for Maiden Phoenix this wasn't true even on the other side of Ward 6.

Maiden Phoenix, thank you for your bravery in persevering with your performances, and your bravery in sharing what difficulties you faced. I look forward to your next production.

-Liz-

[muffyjo]

Sounds like you had a really rough experience without a lot of support. As someone who has been working on performances of many kinds in the Davis Square area for over 11 years now I agree that there are some really difficult situations that you shouldn't need to be in and being harassed is one of them. You are not the only art in the community, you are not alone. We are out here along with a host of other groups and we are happy to lend advice, help brainstorm solutions, and find ways of making success stories instead.

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

Ugh, that was sucktastic. I'm sorry you had to endure it, but I guess I'm not (retrospectively) surprised. Fortunately, nobody was actually harmed, though y'all had to endure plenty of annoyances and a significant amount of fear.

Though it does seem that some of the trouble you had was outright illegal and grounds for police action, and you might have been able to use that. (If I understand correctly, grabbing someone without their permission is assault in Massachusetts law.) Unfortunately, it seems as if these jerks had a reasonably good understanding of what they could be run in for and mostly avoided it.

That being said, you seem to have been in a position where you got to experience some of the worst of the male population of the area. Not surprisingly, the were not well-intentioned and they attempted to satisfy two strong male drives that they probably had precious little other opportunity for: dominance and lust. You frame it well into the political issues that any mass behavior is, but don't assume that they were being obnoxious in service to some political agenda, they were just trying to get a little of what they wanted.

I suppose if you were in a richer town, it might be willing to allocate police effort to drive these people away, lock them up, or perhaps stand guard.

[geckokarma.livejournal.com]

I can't help but leave the door open a crack to a possibility not mentioned here... when I lived across from the park 12 years ago, there was one man who visited the park most days who I don't believe was under the influence but instead was mentally challenged. The rumor was he lived nearby in a house offering assistance to people in that situation. He was vocal and could be disarming, or at least he was when I first met him, and then less so as I grew accustomed to him. If such a house still exists, the city ought to know about it and factor it into decisions about programming in the park, and tell the people doing the programming that it exists. This only leaves the door open a crack because 12 years is a long time and I do believe that most people can nearly always tell the difference between these two categories of people. But it felt worthy of mention.