Asheville Community Theatre — Attraction in Asheville

[UPDATED AT END] ACT fired a marginalized actor for raising safety concerns. This is dangerous and unacceptable.

As an immunocompromised person, I was already disappointed that Asheville Community Theatre was not taking public health seriously and endangering their cast and crew and our community. But to remove an actor from a show after he respectfully raised concerns? That’s absolutely horrible and unprofessional in every way. We know the deadly consequences that ignoring safety can have, and ACT has made themselves part of the problem.

I love Asheville theatre and have attended past shows at this theatre, but I won’t be supporting them until they take a stand against this disrespectful and dangerous choice and publicly commit to stop silencing those who speak up for what’s right.

UPDATE -- Since Google won't let me reply to the Marketing Director's comment, I'll reply here in addition to emailing her. First: ACT has failed to address the most important issue here: the silencing of a marginalized actor who respectfully spoke up on behalf of cast members concerned for their safety. This is absolutely unacceptable and dangerous. The ACT staff and board are supporting this harmful practice by allowing it to happen in their theatre. We have seen multiple deaths in national news that were direct results of cast and crew raising safety concerns that were ignored. ACT is contributing to the deadly culture of silencing those who express concerns.

Most theatres in Asheville are requiring a negative test or proof of vaccination. ACT did not properly convey to the cast of Fight Girl Battle World that some performances would not require this, as evidenced by the vast majority of the cast not knowing until a cast member read about it in a press release a week before the show opened. If anyone needs further evidence, following ACT's failure to take their concerns seriously, three actors quit the show, several cast and crew members have said they will not work with ACT on future productions while this inadequate policy is in place, and one cast member was FIRED for bringing it up in the first place. If the policy was clear from the beginning, how do you explain any of those events, let alone all of them?

When it was told to the cast and crew, the policy was simply called a "hybrid vax" policy, which most took to mean either proof of vaccination OR a negative test would be required, since that's what the vast majority of theatres are doing -- a "hybrid" of vax card or test results. No written explaination of the policy was provided to the cast or crew, despite the extensively detailed pages of other policies that the cast and crew were made to sign. When the actors brought up their concerns that not requiring tests or proof of vaccination put them at significant risk, Interim Executive Director Tamara Sparacino claimed that ACT was trying to be "accessible to all" and said that ACT's diversity training was to blame for this ableist policy. She refused to clarify who exactly this space is being made accessible to by not requiring vax cards or negative tests. If ACT has concerns about accessibility to the tests themselves, they could easily provide rapid tests for guests. There is NO ONE attending shows at ACT who is incapable of either being vaccinated or taking a COVID test when one is provided to them. We all know who Tamara means when she says "accessible to all" and ACT should be ashamed that she hid behind diversity and inclusion. As a disabled and multi-marginalized person, I'm disgusted by that lie.

Huge shoutout to anyone still reading because I know this is unreasonably long. I honestly hoped that ACT would do the right thing and denounce the silencing of a marginalized person and take responsibilty for at the very least better informing their cast and crew in the future. It's very disappointing to see them standing by these dangerous, harmful, and...

My wife and I visited for the 2:30 PM showing of The Fantasticks on Sunday, the 16th. We like to travel around to different cities and take in the local theater scene. Because of the ticket prices, we arrived thinking we were in for a grand performance. This was not the case. After having watched the entire performance, it felt more like a high school production, than a stage performance in a theater. There were some bright spots, with the young man playing Matt, and the gentleman playing El Gallo (pronounced Gai-yo). To us, they seemed to carry the entire performance, but it was not enough for us to warrant the price of admission. We've seen shows at the Lyric Theater, and Theatrical Outfit, both in Atlanta, for less money, and equivalent seating, close to the stage, that were better productions, acting, and singing. It would have been easier to stomach if the admission were not so steep. Sorry ACT, just one man's opinion, who like to frequent theaters. ALSO, NOTE* to future partakers, don't think that by getting as close to the stage that the seating is better. The stage is not on eye level, the closer you sit. We were sitting with our necks "craned" backward in order to see the action. It would be better to sit somewhere around the 5th, to 10th rows to be on eye level. Nothing...

I’ve always respected Asheville Community Theatre (A-C-T) for its talent and production quality, but what I witnessed during the weekend of October 10 was deeply disturbing and impossible to overlook.

During that weekend’s performance, one of the individuals connected with the cast suffered a drug overdose. I was present and personally called 911; Asheville Police and Fire Department responded to the scene. The situation was real, dangerous, and heartbreaking to witness.

What troubles me most is that this didn’t come out of nowhere. There is an obvious and ongoing pattern of substance use tied to the environment surrounding A-C-T and the nearby Vault Burger Bar patio. The atmosphere there has become unsafe—open drug use and reckless behavior are visible to anyone paying attention. It’s not the kind of space a community arts organization should be associated with.

I’m sharing this not out of malice, but out of concern. Asheville’s creative community deserves support, safety, and accountability. I sincerely hope A-C-T leadership and local officials take this seriously before more lives are...