Backlash led to Gladstone manager’s firing
Harassment victim says theatre acted only after her story of abuse went public
It was a public backlash, not a complaint — and confirmation — of sexual harassment, that led the Gladstone Theatre to fire its manager last week, says the Ottawa woman who lodged the complaint.
Last week, Samantha Clarke wrote a Facebook post that outlined her experience working with the Gladstone’s Don Fex as a minor five years ago, saying he had repeatedly approached her to take sexy photographs even though she was 16 years old at the time.
Fex was not employed by the Gladstone at the time, but his company was producing there. A day before on Facebook, Fex had gone public with his own account of the matter, admitting his behaviour was “extremely inappropriate.”
Fex has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
After the public revelations, an open letter signed by more than 700 people was published on social media, calling on the Gladstone to fire Fex. After an investigation and consultations with the theatre’s lawyer, the board terminated him last Wednesday.
“The Gladstone did not take the situation seriously until there was public backlash,” Clarke, who agreed to be identified, said in an interview.
She said the board of directors asked her not to share her story, and that the situation was complicated because everyone involved was friends. The board told her it would continue its investigation on Aug. 17, more than a week after it was made aware of the harassment.
“Had I not shared my story, I can guarantee, supported by written correspondence from the board of directors, that Don would still be working at the Gladstone now,” Clarke said.
“They have been clear since I reached out to them that their priority is what’s best for the organization and the Gladstone as an institution.
“I am a very rare case, in that I’m lucky to have years of documented evidence and a public admission of guilt from the abuser,” she said.
“If the Gladstone is this inadequate in handling such a straightcut case, how are they going to handle other cases?”
Laura Hall and Robin Guy, who are chair and vice-chair of the Gladstone’s board of directors, said in an email that the board “lost touch” with Clarke while addressing her complaint against Fex.
“We regret a great deal about how we handled this incident, particularly our failings in communicating with the survivor. Our volunteer board moved quickly, but also made mistakes,” they wrote.
“We were action-focused instead of person-focused. This was a mistake. We are sorry,” the email said.
Clarke said that the public response to her disclosure “has been amazing and devastating at the same time.”
In the wake of her statement, other women have shared on Facebook their stories of harassment and abuse at other Ottawa theatres and arts venues.
“It breaks my heart that so many people have had similar experiences within the Ottawa theatre community, but I cannot say I’m surprised,” Clarke said, adding she wants other victims of harassment and abuse to know they’re not alone.
“From my experience, it takes a lot of time to come to terms with what happened and even longer to get to a place where you start being able to cope with it and can begin to heal. Everyone has a different process, but from my experience, I would encourage you to share your story, whether it’s with one person you trust, the police, or publicly.”