Theatre director apologizes for harassment and bullying

EDMONTON No one incident or person spurred the Citadel Theatre’s artistic director to apologize in an open letter for harassment and bullying behaviour at the theatre, he says.

Daryl Cloran said he dealt with several allegations of workplace harassment after taking the top job 18 months ago. He won’t say how many complaints he received, citing privacy concerns.

“It’s much more of a culture that has existed,” Cloran said Tuesday.

No one at the theatre has lost their job, faced a reprimand or been sent for training as a result of the complaints, Cloran said.

About 50-60 people work fulltime at the Edmonton theatre, and the number of employees rises to around 200 when several shows are in production, Cloran said.

“I have spoken with many artists, and it has became clear to me that through its history, there have been times that the Citadel has been a negative workplace for artists and staff,” Cloran wrote in a statement posted online Tuesday.

Wendy Dupree, president of the Citadel’s board of directors, would not specify what kind of inappropriate behaviour was reported, except to say the complaints ranged in seriousness. None of the incidents were reported to police.

People who recently reported harassment suggested remedies, and the theatre took the suggested steps, Dupree said.