For years, the Flea Theater has relied on members of its resident acting company, the Bats, for their creativity, their acting chops and their willingness to work unpaid. Two days after a public letter began circulating online in which resident artists criticized the prominent Off Off Broadway theater’s payment practices and what they called “racism, sexism, gaslighting, disrespect and abuse” there, the Flea’s management announced that the theater will pause all production activity to enact sweeping changes, including the elimination of unpaid roles for its artists. “The Flea must reckon with the intersection of racism, sexism and pay inequity, and we must properly address grievances expressed by members of our community,” leaders of the theater wrote in a statement signed by its producing director, Carol Ostrow, and its artistic director, Niegel Smith. “We are pausing all production activity to reflect on the misalignment of our values and actions and to transform our institutional culture and producing model,” said the statement, which was released on Thursday.

Source: New York Times June 19, 2020 18:17 UTC