I went on the record about it to the Washington Post the next morning, and contacted Signature to file a complaint.
SIGNATURE THEATRE PROFESSIONAL
Even as I write this, certain in the truth of it an mostly invulnerable to professional retribution, my hands sweat and tremble.ĭuring the 2018 Helen Hayes Awards show, which was cohosted by my wife, Eric Schaeffer, the Founding Artistic Director of Signature Theatre Company in Arlington, VA, sexually assaulted me, grabbing or fondling my genitals through my pants three times over the course of a bewildering five minute exchange, including at least twice after I made it clear that I wanted him to stop. I am stating this publicly to protect those who might be hurt if I were to stay silent longer, to honor the grief and struggles other people I know to have been victimized, & to illustrate how monumentally difficult it is for those without my innumerate privileges to come forward, particularly when their abusers are powerful men in arts leadership. I am going to resist my impulses to make this a longer post than it absolutely needs to be, with a detailed explanation of the event and reasons for why I have not spoken about this publicly until now.
SIGNATURE THEATRE FULL
Keegan’s full Twitter thread, with his account of what happened, is below. Keegan asserted that “at least one other actor I know was assaulted by Eric.” He also said that he told the Washington Post about what happened the day after the alleged assault a search today found no articles on the topic. Recent allegations about this incident asserted on social media are false, misleading and without merit as evidenced by the independent investigation. The matter was then closed and no charges or actions against Signature or Mr. Signature’s Board of Directors unanimously accepted the investigation’s conclusions and Mr. The investigation concluded that the allegations were not credible. The investigator also did a comprehensive review of pertinent records including extensive email records and text messages. The third-party investigation was independent and involved numerous interviews with the complainant, Eric Schaeffer, current and former Signature staff along with attendees at the event where the incident allegedly took place. Schaeffer was put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the inquiry. The Signature Board took the complaint seriously and immediately hired outside counsel to conduct a third-party inquiry and Mr. In May of 2018, Signature Theatre received a complaint concerning Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. Living up to these values means taking all allegations of inappropriate or illegal actions seriously and then acting on those complaints according to robust and fair policies. Signature Theatre strives to play a positive role in our society and part of doing this is listening to our community in an open and fair manner. Yesterday, the theater - which in 2014 received a $5 million loan and rent abatement on its Shirlington location from Arlington County - responded with a statement (below) saying the allegations were investigated and found to be “not credible.” He says Signature co-founder and artistic director Eric Schaeffer repeatedly grabbed his genitals during a local theater awards show in 2018.
SIGNATURE THEATRE UPDATE
Update on 6/24/20 - Schaeffer just announced his retirement.Įarlier: Shirlington-based Signature Theatre says newly-revealed sexual assault allegations against its leader “are false, misleading and without merit.”Īctor Thomas Keegan made the allegations public via social media on Sunday, after challenging Signature on a statement expressing a commitment to social justice.
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