The continued wave of sexual harassment allegations illuminating a deep-seated issue in the entertainment and media industries has hit the Broadway community, as Broadway professionals have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against casting director Justin Huff, Variety has reported.
Huff, who cast such Broadway shows as Kinky Boots, On Your Feet!, The Color Purple and Newsies—as well as Fox’s live presentation of Grease—was terminated from Telsey + Co. in recent days.
“He was let go last week,” said Bernard Telsey, the veteran casting director who founded Telsey + Co. “I was given reports of inappropriate behavior which I took very seriously, and once I was able to get some information, it was very clear he had to leave this office.”
The report is part of an ongoing conversation in the entertainment industry and beyond; as victims of sexual assault and harassment become more emboldened to share their stories, companies and organizations are heeded to reconsider their own office culture and confront the realities of industry practices.
Following the allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, the conversation has led to revelations concerning leaders and members of the theatre industry, including actor and former Old Vic Artistic Director Kevin Spacey, director Max Stafford-Clark, and Gloucester Stage Company co-founder Israel Horowitz. The latter resigned as an ex-officio member of the board of directors November 30 following multiple allegations of sexual assault, some dating back to 1986.
Actors’ Equity released the following statement in October in light of the increasing allegations:“Everyone should be able to go to work free from the fear of sexual harassment. Equity expects all employers to provide a workplace where our members can do their work free of harassment. That’s the law. Any Equity member who experiences something that makes them feel uncomfortable and that they believe constitutes harassment can report it to their Equity Business Rep.”