Kansas Children’s Theater The Coterie releases statement following allegations of sexual assault by former artistic director

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Regional News Kansas Children’s Theater The Coterie releases statement following allegations of sexual assault by former artistic director

Jeff Church was found dead on December 24, days after a growing list of allegations was posted online.

The board of directors of Kansas City children’s theater, The Coterie, has issued a new statement following a number of sexual assault allegations against former production artistic director Jeff Church, who was found dead at his home in December 24 hours after he resigned from the company. Public. The theater says the investigation into the allegations, announced before Church’s resignation and death, “will continue with fervor” and that the theater is “examining [its] policies and procedures.”

Reads the statement: “To those brave souls who have spoken their truth publicly: We see you. We hear you. We support you as you work to heal from unimaginable pain. We hope you are uplifted by love and the support of the artistic community around you.” The statement is included in full below.

The allegations against Church were first made public in a since-deleted Facebook video of Florida actor Dashawn Young, who shared a disturbing story of assault from 2017, when Young was 22. public seeing Harvey Weinstein in the news again; the disgraced film director and Broadway producer was recently found guilty of additional sexual assault charges at a trial in Los Angeles.

Young’s video would turn out to be the first of many, with the theater initially responding on December 23 by placing Church on administrative leave and announcing that an investigation would be conducted through a third-party investigator. News of Church’s resignation and death came the next day.

Read the full statement from Coterie’s Board of Directors below:

Our Coterie Theater community and the Kansas City arts community at large are dealing with countless emotions in the wake of this terribly tragic series of events.

For those brave souls who have spoken their truth publicly: we see you. We hear you. We support you in your work to heal from unimaginable pain. We hope you will be uplifted by the love and support of the artistic community around you.

To our staff, volunteers, artists and patrons of the Coterie, we thank you for your endless dedication to our craft and for your consideration of what is beautiful in the arts: its ability to bring people together for experiences that can inspire , educate, enlighten, and sometimes offer their own source of healing.

At that point, the cast of A Charlie Brown Christmas decided that they would like to continue playing the remaining shows for that week. Our shared mission compels us, even in the most difficult times, to deliver our art and continue to have a positive impact on our audience. We thank them for their commitment and ask for mercy for our Coterie community during this difficult time.

An independent investigation into allegations of abuse by our former Production Art Director against Coterie staff or cast members will continue with fervor. If you have allegations of misconduct against Coterie staff or cast members, we encourage you to contact[email protected].

We are reviewing our policies and procedures and remain resolutely and passionately committed to a safe, healthy and supportive work environment. Our staff, our artists and the members of our board of directors are on the way to ensure that our actions continue to be an expression of our shared values.

We are grateful to live in an engaged community of people who not only believe in the power of the arts, but who also believe in the power to support and care for each other.

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