Alley board pressured artistic director to leave

Boyd retired after leadership learned of staff’s concern regarding behavior

Gregory Boyd, the Alley Theatre’s former artistic director, retired under pressure from board leadership after they learned of “the depth of staff concerns regarding his behavior,” the theater’s top administrator said Friday.

The Alley’s leadership previously had refused to comment on abuse allegations leveled against Boyd, who announced his retirement Jan. 9, saying at the time that it had been planned for months but delayed by Hurricane Harvey.

The theater’s managing director, Dean Gladden, broke his public silence Friday as rumors swirled of a potential staff walkout, some donors and patrons assailed Boyd’s severance agreement on Facebook and supporters of Alley employees wore red as part of a social media campaign demanding accountability, with the hashtag #WhyWeWearRed.

The Houston Chronicle started investigating abuse allegations against Boyd in the fall and was told by more than 20 current and former Alley employees that his 28-year, Tony award-winning tenure was tainted by abusive behavior, particularly toward young actresses.

Boyd’s former colleagues reported he screamed profanities at employees, and two actresses told the Chronicle he touched their buttocks inappropriately while giving stage directions.

Boyd, 66, did not return a reporter’s phone call.

The theater’s managing director, Dean Gladden, issued a news release Friday morning that offered a vaguely worded apology for the Alley’s handling of the allegations.

“On behalf of the Alley Theatre, we apologize for recent events and the actions that led to these news stories,” the statement read.

Asked if he was apologizing for Boyd’s allegedly abusive behavior or for the Alley’s response to it, Gladden said: “It’s everything. I just apologize for absolutely everything.”

Mum on personnel issue

Gladden, managing director for 11 years, refused to answer many questions about Boyd. He and Boyd both reported directly to the board, and he had no power to discipline or fire Boyd, Gladden said.

Asked when he first became aware of the allegations against Boyd, Gladden said he was unsure. He also said he could not recall the first allegation he heard. He said he made the board aware of allegations against Boyd but refused to disclose when he did so.

“That is a personnel issue that wouldn’t be proper to discuss,” Gladden said.

In a Jan. 9 news release announcing Boyd’s departure, the theater said he had planned to retire before Hurricane Harvey hit in August, flooding the theater in the heart of the city’s downtown.

However, the Chronicle filed a request under a state law that requires financial disclosures by nonprofits and learned that Boyd had been paid more than $380,000 severance as part of his retirement.

News of that payment angered many Alley employees, who have been unable to get raises this year. Some staff members were considering the possibility of a walkout before Gladden called a staff meeting Friday morning and issued the apology.

“We recognize that this lack of transparency has been viewed negatively,” Gladden said in the statement. “We should have handled it differently. We apologize to those impacted, the Alley staff, patrons, donors, press, and to the city of Houston.”

The statement said Boyd “had been discussing retirement options with members of the Board of Directors,” but it did not say when that started. Gladden would not disclose which board members were involved in those conversations but said he was told they started a year ago.

“When the Alley Theatre Board Leadership learned of the depth of staff concerns regarding his behavior, they requested he proceed with his retirement,” the statement said.

Gladden said that occurred in early January.

Butch Mach, the board’s president, did not return a reporter’s phone call Friday.

Boyd was about one year into a five-year contract when he announced his retirement. He was paid at least $420,000 in the fiscal year that ended in June 2016, according to tax records.

The Chronicle started investigating allegations against Boyd after current and former employees complained about his behavior in the midst of the “#MeToo” movement.

Emily Trask, a member of the company for nearly two years, told the Chronicle in an article published this month that she quit her “dream job” at the Alley in April after reporting to three members of management that Boyd had bullied her at rehearsals and called her a “stupid c---” while giving another actor stage direction.

Trask and another actress, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported being touched inappropriately by Boyd on their buttocks.

‘The healing process’

After the Chronicle’s story this month, the Alley did not directly address the allegations against Boyd but announced the creation of a special board committee to evaluate the “workplace environment.”

The Alley also hired a thirdparty consultant, Walker Consulting Group, to help provide guidance and recommendations for changes.

Asked why the Alley was issuing an apology now, more than two weeks after the allegations were published, Gladden said: “We felt it was best to make a full apology, that this is the appropriate time. We felt our advice on how to handle the situation wasn’t working.” He declined to elaborate. “We’re really working on the healing process now,” Gladden said. “We are very optimistic about the future and look forward to bringing on a new artistic director and having the Alley continue as an outstanding organization for the city.”

Jane Wagner, a longtime Alley donor and supporter who was critical of its earlier silence, welcomed the theater’s apology.

“This statement of contrition by Dean Gladden, and his taking ownership that The Alley mishandled many allegations of abuse, is a start to changing the climate there that protected the wrong people for decades,” Wagner said. “Hopefully, stellar plays will continue to be performed at the Alley, but will no longer compromise human decency in the process.

“It’s a long road back to regain the confidence of donors, actors, playwrights, and the entire community, but it’s an important beginning.”

Longtime Alley actor and director James Black is serving as interim artistic director at the Alley, which is among the five largest nonprofit theater companies outside of New York.

Positive steps or PR?

Actor John Feltch said the apology was a positive step, though the statement seemed “more cosmetic than genuine.”

“They are trying desperately to shore up public relations, but as is always the case in situations like these, they would have been so much better off coming clean and being honest about the situation,” said Feltch, who worked at the Alley in the 1990s and returned recently for more than a year, until Boyd let him go in August. “To see a lack of transparency, that saddens me.

“I hope and expect that will change.”

Blair Gulledge, who worked at the Alley from 2006 through 2013 as a resident costume design assistant, said she hopes the apology was made for the right reasons and marks a fresh start.

“I can’t help but think if the staff was able to produce worldclass theatre under the tyranny of Greg Boyd — think of what they could do with honest, open and respectful collaboration,” she said.