Long Wharf Theatre Artistic Director Accused of Sexual Misconduct

The New York Times is reporting that Gordon Edelstein, artistic director of Long Wharf Theatre, has been placed on administrative leave after several former collaborators and employees of the company have come forward with claims of sexual misconduct.

Former employees and other theatrical professionals who have come in contact with Edelstein describe deeply inappropriate and traumatizing behavior, including unwanted sexual attention, groping, and sexually explicit language used in the workplace since his appointment in 2002, per The Times report.

The Times report is based on twenty-four separate interviews with current and former Long Wharf employees and colleagues.

After the allegations surfaced an emergency meeting for staff and board was called to address the issue, after which Edelstein was placed on administrative leave.

According to the report, the board of the institution had been made aware of the behavior for years. However, leaders of the institution call the claim "misleading."

Meghan Kane, a former assistant director at the company, has been quoted as saying, "The theatre is complicit in this behavior. There are other administrators that know about his inappropriate behavior; there are board members. It's not just about one person - it's about an entire company of people."

"These allegations are deeply upsetting. We simply cannot and will not tolerate behavioral misconduct in the theatre workplace." said Laura Pappano, chairwoman of the Long Wharf board of trustees.

Despite the board's rebuttal, the report notes that theatre leaders had previously been made aware of claims from women who were made uncomfortable by Edelstein's behavior.

Long Wharf is one of the nation's most popular regional theatres and is among those institutions honored with the special regional Tony Award for its work. The company has hand a hand in developing at least 19 Broadway productions, including this season's hit play, Meteor Shower. starring Amy Schumer, Laura Benanti, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jeremy Shamos.

Read the full NYT report here.