Vancouver’s Carousel kids theatre reckoning with allegations of toxic, unsafe work environment

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A Vancouver kids theatre known for productions like Peter Pan has parted ways with its artistic director and is promising change, following allegations of toxic, bullying behaviour spanning years.

The reckoning was sparked when a Vancouver actor Kaitlyn Yott posted on Facebook detailing her experiences at the Carousel Theatre for Young People.

Among other things, Yott — who is an Indigenous and Japanese woman — describes being told she was not hired for her skills but because the company “went the diversity route.”

“It was convenient for me to be your BIPOC performer when you’re writing a juicy grant to get more funding, but as soon as it’s not satisfactory or convenient for my Indigenous and Japanese self to exist, I’m asked to put it away. To assimilate. To submit and ignore my boundaries and my emotional safety and just say, ‘yes,'” the post reads.

She says she was pushed to perform unsafe stunts without proper training and supervision, and the refusal to hire a stunt coordinator resulted in her injury.

“I ended up severely injured in both of my knees halfway through the run. I was barely able to walk and I was in excruciating amounts of pain. I still have these injuries and it will likely affect the rest of my livelihood as a theatre artist,” the post continues.

Yott says when she raised concerns about her safety, voiced her opinion, or tried to establish a boundary she was bullied, dismissed, and harassed.

“We’re taught as actors that we don’t matter, because if we make any fuss, say no, or bring our whole selves to the equation, that we will be deemed as difficult to work with, and we’ll be unhireable. That putting on a f****ing play is more important than navigating our emotional, physical and spiritual safety.”

Dani Fecko, who worked as a stage manager for the theatre company says since Yott spoke out, more than 60 letters dating back 15 years have been sent to the board describing a “toxic” and “unsafe” work environment.

“Kaitlyn is such a fantastic spokesperson and really brought to the public light what’s been happening,” Fecko says.

“There were situations of being put up against each other, manipulation, being yelled at unnecessarily, being contacted outside of work hours, the list kind of goes on and on. At the end of the day it just really felt like a very unsafe workplace and often what was happening, or how it was being amplified, was that the people being employed were very early on in their careers so often didn’t really have the skills or the strength to recognize that the situation they were in was not one they needed to be in.”

According to Fecko, Yott’s experience of lasting injury was not uncommon.

“There was also the matter of people being brought into the office, being there for six months to maybe a year, and then leaving and feeling very alone after they left. We’re hearing stories of leaving the theatre as an industry, going into therapy after that, going on to anti-depressants. There were a lot of people who had these experiences who would kind of whisper stories to each other, but because it was somebody in a position of power none of us felt strong enough to come forward,” she says, adding some people who have worked there won’t even return to Granville Island because they become anxious and panicked just being close to the theatre.

The board of directors posted a statement to the company’s website saying it has “mutually agreed to part ways” with Artistic and Managing Director Carole Higgins.

“The board of directors is reviewing and will be restructuring our leadership team. We will be working to rebuild a theatre that is inclusive, creates opportunity, and provides a safe place for everyone,” it reads.

https://twitter.com/CarouselTheatre/status/1281015414588350464

Fecko says she and Yott are meeting with the board later this week.

“The statement’s a beginning, it’s not good enough. An apology from the board and from the outgoing artistic and managing director is something that we are looking for. Many of us when we saw that statement didn’t feel any sense of relief really, she explains.

“That meeting on Wednesday is really about talking about concrete next steps, and just ensuring that what the community needs is really being heard and will be answered to. I think that it’s been let go too long. I think that the organization really needs to make space for people to be able to come together and heal there, and needs to allow for that. ”

She says she has empathy for everyone involved, including the departed director, and the volunteer-run board.

“Everybody here is a person and I personally wish no ill-will toward the outgoing artistic and managing director, what a difficult time for them to be in as well, so I just want to recognize that, that this isn’t easy for anybody and that change hurts for everybody. The board is listening, we feel that.”

Fecko stresses that what she wants is for the organization to improve, so it can continue to offer theatre for kids.

“This is such an important institution and organization in this city,” she says.

“This is a will to make that place safer so that it can keep on growing, and keep on delivering top-class theatre for young people in this city.”