JANUARY 20, 2023
Central Florida Entertainment Advocacy is an organization that promotes racial justice and equity in the arts and entertainment industry. Above all, our fight is for justice wherever it may be absent. We advocate and stand up for this community at large. Our main goal is to provide education and awareness that translates into tangible action and reform. We seek the betterment of artistic spaces in this community and vow to help bring it to fruition whenever and wherever we can.
A THREAT TO JUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO JUSTICE EVERYWHERE
-DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.-
-DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.-
WE BELIEVE THAT TRANSPARENCY IS OUR GREATEST WEAPON.
As peers, in our struggle to advance our arts community, and as leaders in our efforts to advocate for the artists and workers within. With that, CFEA would like to address the Central Florida Arts Community regarding the events (both past and present) at The Garden Theatre in Winter Garden. During the course of the last 3 years, CFEA has actively demonstrated that we will always support and uplift the voices of this community. These voices belong to artists, producers, directors, writers, production crews, stage managers, technical professionals, and even the patrons who enter our arts and entertainment spaces to hear the stories and consume the art that we all love to create and display. When those voices, and the people they belong to, are harmed and/or diminished, it is our responsibility to step in and advocate. As we have observed the further and continued dividing of this community, we cannot and will no longer stay silent. We will share with you, in all transparency, the truth. The truth about our calls for action and the events leading to the need for such action. It is our hope that this transparency will ultimately bring us all together for the healing and reconciliation this community deserves.
CFEA was invited to sit on the board of The Garden Theatre in 2021 by the Board Chairman (at that time), Ray Fournier and Joseph Walsh. They were the first theatre to act upon CFEA’s Points Of Action for our community to change the face of the Board of Directors at all of our organizations and institutions. We aligned with Joe and Ray’s vision for the theatre and looked forward to having a seat at the table to be a part of the change we all so desperately longed to see. Shortly after, Ray’s term with the Board ended. Wes Catlett took over as Board Chair and we immediately saw a shift in priority for the Board. It was unclear if the change in strategy was coming from the chair or other members of the Board. We joined a DEI Committee with Allie Braswell as thechairman. The agenda for this committee was often overlooked and this effort never materialized. We began to see very quickly that we had a seat at the table but not a voice in the matters concerning the theatre. This gave us pause, but we continued to hold our seat, hoping to make an impact at the right time. When the Board brought consideration to the table for the elimination of the Managing Director/Artistic Director Co-Leadership Model, we immediately spoke up. And directly spoke to the detriment that losing Joe Walsh would cause for this community and the theatre. Several other Board Members spoke up as well. At this point, Joe was responsible for a great deal of the good change that we were seeing the theatre make. People of color were finally, after many years, seeing themselves as a part of the theatre in a safe, inclusive way. But we quickly learned that this change was not necessarily the heart of the Board, and there were members who were intent to stand in the way. Wes Catlett later resigned as Board Chair and Allie Braswell stepped into the position. Our requests to discuss the future of CFEA on The Garden Board, and the lack of action on the DEI committee, were ignored. Several requests to Allie were overlooked and the culture and priorities of the Board headed further in a direction we were not aligned with. When Joe Walsh resigned and the staff brought forth their concerns, and the sitting Board chose to diminish and dismiss their voices, we knew it was time for us to part ways. We could not be a part of something that was the antithesis of what we stood for. We released a statement at that time but did not delve further into the situation. We have 2 Executive Team Members who were a part of The Garden Staff, who were terminated by the Board. While our decision to remove ourselves was made prior to their termination, we did not want to blur the lines of our advocacy and our personal lives. So these members of our team took a huge hit by a Board that severely abused its power and had little recourse, even from the organization they serve with to fight for others in this same manner. We know that this hurt them, but it was a sacrifice we had to make in choosing how to fight with integrity.
In the following months, we watched the Board fire the staff with attempts to buy their silence, drive out the remaining staff that stood on the side of change, drive away Board Members that felt the same, dodge accountability, lose directors, choreographers and stage managers for their season, cancel show after show in the season, have harmful interactions with members of the community, and release tone deaf statements in attempt to justify their gross abuses of power and blatant privilege and bigotry.
In the summer of 2022, leadership of CFEA was made aware that Fernando Varelo and Victory Productions had been approached by the Garden to produce shows in its season. CFEA and Fernando had an amicable relationship, as Fernando had reached out to the organization commending its efforts, especially in standing up to the powers that be at both Mad Cow and The Garden Theatre. Fernando expressed his own disdain with particular board members and the way that they used their power andprivilege to manipulate and control those around them. Fernando offered to help CFEA gain non-profit status through the form of a large donation. That donation did not materialize. But it was those things, in good faith, that led CFEA to believe that Fernando desired to be an active ally. Later Fernando revealed that he sat down with the Garden Board and they made an offer to Victory Productions to produce shows. CFEA’s counsel at that time was to not accept this offer under any circumstance. As other producers in town had already turned down their offers to partner with the now problematic and close to defunct theatre. Fernando then revealed that he had tough conversations with the Board, calling them out on the things that had transpired in previous months. He expressed that his goal in doing anything at the theatre would be solely to bring the space back to life and offer living wage work to artists in town. Because CFEA definitely desires to see the space revived under appropriate leadership, to see artists and staff paid and treated well, and to see the radical change implemented by Joseph Walsh (and others like Roberta Emerson and Nick Bazo) continue to build, we offered the following suggestions to Victory Productions BEFORE working with The Garden in any way:
1. Choose a new Board of Directors and not retain any of the seats that were previously held. If seated members refused to bring on reputable and inclusive new members, then the remaining Board Members need to publicly acknowledge the wrong doing and harm caused to the staff and arts community. As a part of this acknowledgement, these Board Members would also:
2. Educate themselves through accredited Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training.
3. Have conversations with CFEA and the members of the community who were harmed to see if any reconciliation and renewal would be possible.
4. Release the results of independent operational and financial assessments The Garden Board claimed to have retained earlier in the year
5. Still identify new Board Members, independently of the remaining members of the Board. (We understood those members to be Keith Smith, one other person who was not named and Becky Roper-emeritus. The website removed all listing of board and staff, which violates non-profit status rules, so we are unsure of who actually is behind the operation).
CFEA expressly advised against moving forward with any partnership or affiliation with The Garden until these things occurred. We were later informed that The Garden was not willing to wait on the partnership and that Victory Productions would move forwardwith full creative control. Fernando felt confident that he could be completely separate from the Board. We were/are not confident in this because Victory is a hired production company and this is not a rented venue situation. The Board is still ultimately in control of whomever they hire. Because we knew this would still be problematic, even though Fernando and Victory Productions were NOT a part of the issues that took place prior to this offer, CFEA suggested that Fernando make a clear distinction between him and his company and the remaining Board. It was suggested that he acknowledge the things he knew and saw that were problematic and counter with a plan of action to ensure that those things were not perpetuated under his care. It was highly suggested that this communication with the community come from him BEFORE any announcement by him or the still very problematic board about the partnership. Unfortunately this did not happen. It was our understanding that Fernando did try to hold off on a press release mentioning his company, but the Board was insistent upon moving forward. Again, showing why we lack any confidence in their change in mentality or desire to do the right things regarding this community. The Board released yet another tone deaf statement that essentially poured salt into the wounds of this community and, in particular, the people who were directly harmed by their abuse. When this did not go over well, CFEA was asked to look over a statement drafted by Victory Productions publicity rep to release on its own. When we saw that the release did nothing to denounce the status quo or work toward a solution, we knew we could not continue to offer our counsel to yet another organization that refused to listen. We had already essentially laid out all of the groundwork But the situation had already been grossly mishandled, yet again…and we did not want to have any part in that. We were saddened by this outcome, as we had really tried to work to bring the community together, even through this new effort. We do believe that Fernando Varelo feels he can come alongside this current Board, to make change over time. But it became abundantly clear that The Garden Board Members, nor Victory Productions, were willing to halt to do the uncomfortable, hard things necessary to bring true inclusion, justice, equity and accountability to the space before forging ahead in already muddy and sullied ground. Even though we knew this and held our stance, Becky Roper told the City of Winter Garden that Fernando had already spoken with community leaders and that he had our full support. This was a false narrative. Our support was based on conditions that were never met. Again, showing us how in control the Board still is. The conditions we presented were ones that would have greatly alleviated this current situation.
In full transparency we must also note that Fernando did agree to take our advice about meeting with former staff to get a clear picture of what occurred and how to combat it moving forward. However, when he asked for the meeting, news of the partnership hadalready spread and caused several people to feel uncomfortable with taking the meeting at that time. While it is one hundred percent true that Fernando Varelo was not involved and had nothing to do with previous issues at The Garden, coming alongside the people who were unfortunately adds him to burden of responsibility.
With that the parties have forged ahead, producing the season with the promise that the Board will have zero involvement (which we know is operationally impossible for a Board of an active non-profit theatre with grant obligations to the community), and with the expectation that the community will get over it, move on, and accept the tokens of effort being presented. The past couple of weeks have yielded unfavorable interactions between Victory Productions and its team and members of the community. We are watching our peers and community be divided in a situation that could have been avoided if handled with grace and humility. Once again we see how power and privilege take hold of the tenants of white supremacy and use them to bulldoze anything and anyone that stands in its way. CFEA’s assessment is that The Garden did not actively and publicly step up to take the steps toward reconciliation because they felt entitled enough to not have to. They felt they didn’t owe anyone in this community anything, not even an apology.
CFEA does not want division in our community. We do not condone the shaming of artists who are caught in the crossfire of problematic leadership. We do not condone the dismissal of artists who are vocal about their experiences and the trauma which resulted from that space. We also cannot recommend or support being active in this space until adequate steps have been taken to ensure that its problems have been rectified, or that a viable plan of action is truthfully and consistently being worked towards. If you choose to work there, or support, you do so at your own risk. We are being told that the independent assessments previously promised were only recently being collected and that one of the consulting companies involved is the very same company that led The Garden in its problematic and questionable decisions prior. That gives us pause, but we are eager to see any evidence of these results or any steps taken by this Board. We also acknowledge that, in the recent days, social media backlash has led to the desire to bring Fernando and Victory Productions and members of the community to the table. This may be a step in the right direction. If these meetings are approached with open hearts and minds. CFEA is willing to facilitate and mediate these meetings, however we remain clear on our stance and desires for tangible efforts to move forward in a productive way.
If you have any questions regarding this statement, please contact the CFEA Executive Team at cfeaexecutiveteam@gmail.com.
CFEA was invited to sit on the board of The Garden Theatre in 2021 by the Board Chairman (at that time), Ray Fournier and Joseph Walsh. They were the first theatre to act upon CFEA’s Points Of Action for our community to change the face of the Board of Directors at all of our organizations and institutions. We aligned with Joe and Ray’s vision for the theatre and looked forward to having a seat at the table to be a part of the change we all so desperately longed to see. Shortly after, Ray’s term with the Board ended. Wes Catlett took over as Board Chair and we immediately saw a shift in priority for the Board. It was unclear if the change in strategy was coming from the chair or other members of the Board. We joined a DEI Committee with Allie Braswell as thechairman. The agenda for this committee was often overlooked and this effort never materialized. We began to see very quickly that we had a seat at the table but not a voice in the matters concerning the theatre. This gave us pause, but we continued to hold our seat, hoping to make an impact at the right time. When the Board brought consideration to the table for the elimination of the Managing Director/Artistic Director Co-Leadership Model, we immediately spoke up. And directly spoke to the detriment that losing Joe Walsh would cause for this community and the theatre. Several other Board Members spoke up as well. At this point, Joe was responsible for a great deal of the good change that we were seeing the theatre make. People of color were finally, after many years, seeing themselves as a part of the theatre in a safe, inclusive way. But we quickly learned that this change was not necessarily the heart of the Board, and there were members who were intent to stand in the way. Wes Catlett later resigned as Board Chair and Allie Braswell stepped into the position. Our requests to discuss the future of CFEA on The Garden Board, and the lack of action on the DEI committee, were ignored. Several requests to Allie were overlooked and the culture and priorities of the Board headed further in a direction we were not aligned with. When Joe Walsh resigned and the staff brought forth their concerns, and the sitting Board chose to diminish and dismiss their voices, we knew it was time for us to part ways. We could not be a part of something that was the antithesis of what we stood for. We released a statement at that time but did not delve further into the situation. We have 2 Executive Team Members who were a part of The Garden Staff, who were terminated by the Board. While our decision to remove ourselves was made prior to their termination, we did not want to blur the lines of our advocacy and our personal lives. So these members of our team took a huge hit by a Board that severely abused its power and had little recourse, even from the organization they serve with to fight for others in this same manner. We know that this hurt them, but it was a sacrifice we had to make in choosing how to fight with integrity.
In the following months, we watched the Board fire the staff with attempts to buy their silence, drive out the remaining staff that stood on the side of change, drive away Board Members that felt the same, dodge accountability, lose directors, choreographers and stage managers for their season, cancel show after show in the season, have harmful interactions with members of the community, and release tone deaf statements in attempt to justify their gross abuses of power and blatant privilege and bigotry.
In the summer of 2022, leadership of CFEA was made aware that Fernando Varelo and Victory Productions had been approached by the Garden to produce shows in its season. CFEA and Fernando had an amicable relationship, as Fernando had reached out to the organization commending its efforts, especially in standing up to the powers that be at both Mad Cow and The Garden Theatre. Fernando expressed his own disdain with particular board members and the way that they used their power andprivilege to manipulate and control those around them. Fernando offered to help CFEA gain non-profit status through the form of a large donation. That donation did not materialize. But it was those things, in good faith, that led CFEA to believe that Fernando desired to be an active ally. Later Fernando revealed that he sat down with the Garden Board and they made an offer to Victory Productions to produce shows. CFEA’s counsel at that time was to not accept this offer under any circumstance. As other producers in town had already turned down their offers to partner with the now problematic and close to defunct theatre. Fernando then revealed that he had tough conversations with the Board, calling them out on the things that had transpired in previous months. He expressed that his goal in doing anything at the theatre would be solely to bring the space back to life and offer living wage work to artists in town. Because CFEA definitely desires to see the space revived under appropriate leadership, to see artists and staff paid and treated well, and to see the radical change implemented by Joseph Walsh (and others like Roberta Emerson and Nick Bazo) continue to build, we offered the following suggestions to Victory Productions BEFORE working with The Garden in any way:
1. Choose a new Board of Directors and not retain any of the seats that were previously held. If seated members refused to bring on reputable and inclusive new members, then the remaining Board Members need to publicly acknowledge the wrong doing and harm caused to the staff and arts community. As a part of this acknowledgement, these Board Members would also:
2. Educate themselves through accredited Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training.
3. Have conversations with CFEA and the members of the community who were harmed to see if any reconciliation and renewal would be possible.
4. Release the results of independent operational and financial assessments The Garden Board claimed to have retained earlier in the year
5. Still identify new Board Members, independently of the remaining members of the Board. (We understood those members to be Keith Smith, one other person who was not named and Becky Roper-emeritus. The website removed all listing of board and staff, which violates non-profit status rules, so we are unsure of who actually is behind the operation).
CFEA expressly advised against moving forward with any partnership or affiliation with The Garden until these things occurred. We were later informed that The Garden was not willing to wait on the partnership and that Victory Productions would move forwardwith full creative control. Fernando felt confident that he could be completely separate from the Board. We were/are not confident in this because Victory is a hired production company and this is not a rented venue situation. The Board is still ultimately in control of whomever they hire. Because we knew this would still be problematic, even though Fernando and Victory Productions were NOT a part of the issues that took place prior to this offer, CFEA suggested that Fernando make a clear distinction between him and his company and the remaining Board. It was suggested that he acknowledge the things he knew and saw that were problematic and counter with a plan of action to ensure that those things were not perpetuated under his care. It was highly suggested that this communication with the community come from him BEFORE any announcement by him or the still very problematic board about the partnership. Unfortunately this did not happen. It was our understanding that Fernando did try to hold off on a press release mentioning his company, but the Board was insistent upon moving forward. Again, showing why we lack any confidence in their change in mentality or desire to do the right things regarding this community. The Board released yet another tone deaf statement that essentially poured salt into the wounds of this community and, in particular, the people who were directly harmed by their abuse. When this did not go over well, CFEA was asked to look over a statement drafted by Victory Productions publicity rep to release on its own. When we saw that the release did nothing to denounce the status quo or work toward a solution, we knew we could not continue to offer our counsel to yet another organization that refused to listen. We had already essentially laid out all of the groundwork But the situation had already been grossly mishandled, yet again…and we did not want to have any part in that. We were saddened by this outcome, as we had really tried to work to bring the community together, even through this new effort. We do believe that Fernando Varelo feels he can come alongside this current Board, to make change over time. But it became abundantly clear that The Garden Board Members, nor Victory Productions, were willing to halt to do the uncomfortable, hard things necessary to bring true inclusion, justice, equity and accountability to the space before forging ahead in already muddy and sullied ground. Even though we knew this and held our stance, Becky Roper told the City of Winter Garden that Fernando had already spoken with community leaders and that he had our full support. This was a false narrative. Our support was based on conditions that were never met. Again, showing us how in control the Board still is. The conditions we presented were ones that would have greatly alleviated this current situation.
In full transparency we must also note that Fernando did agree to take our advice about meeting with former staff to get a clear picture of what occurred and how to combat it moving forward. However, when he asked for the meeting, news of the partnership hadalready spread and caused several people to feel uncomfortable with taking the meeting at that time. While it is one hundred percent true that Fernando Varelo was not involved and had nothing to do with previous issues at The Garden, coming alongside the people who were unfortunately adds him to burden of responsibility.
With that the parties have forged ahead, producing the season with the promise that the Board will have zero involvement (which we know is operationally impossible for a Board of an active non-profit theatre with grant obligations to the community), and with the expectation that the community will get over it, move on, and accept the tokens of effort being presented. The past couple of weeks have yielded unfavorable interactions between Victory Productions and its team and members of the community. We are watching our peers and community be divided in a situation that could have been avoided if handled with grace and humility. Once again we see how power and privilege take hold of the tenants of white supremacy and use them to bulldoze anything and anyone that stands in its way. CFEA’s assessment is that The Garden did not actively and publicly step up to take the steps toward reconciliation because they felt entitled enough to not have to. They felt they didn’t owe anyone in this community anything, not even an apology.
CFEA does not want division in our community. We do not condone the shaming of artists who are caught in the crossfire of problematic leadership. We do not condone the dismissal of artists who are vocal about their experiences and the trauma which resulted from that space. We also cannot recommend or support being active in this space until adequate steps have been taken to ensure that its problems have been rectified, or that a viable plan of action is truthfully and consistently being worked towards. If you choose to work there, or support, you do so at your own risk. We are being told that the independent assessments previously promised were only recently being collected and that one of the consulting companies involved is the very same company that led The Garden in its problematic and questionable decisions prior. That gives us pause, but we are eager to see any evidence of these results or any steps taken by this Board. We also acknowledge that, in the recent days, social media backlash has led to the desire to bring Fernando and Victory Productions and members of the community to the table. This may be a step in the right direction. If these meetings are approached with open hearts and minds. CFEA is willing to facilitate and mediate these meetings, however we remain clear on our stance and desires for tangible efforts to move forward in a productive way.
If you have any questions regarding this statement, please contact the CFEA Executive Team at cfeaexecutiveteam@gmail.com.