Boycott Called: Musical Theatre's Artistic Director Supported Prop 8

Actress Susan Egan who appeared as Belle in the original Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast has written her support of boycotting Sacramento's California Music Theatre/Sacramento Music Circus over issues surrounding the passage of PropH8. The theater's artistic director Scott Eckern, who is Mormon, contributed of $1000 in support of California's divisive Proposition 8 which eliminated marriage rights for gay couples.

Egan writes:

I am deeply troubled by the news about Scott, as I have worked for and known him since 1993. I find his behavior hypocritical at best and, more likely, distressingly prejudiced. Many of you friends who, like myself, have worked for Scott might be floored to know this news. I think at this point I shall do my best to "out" him and any others like him. Folks who show (and make money) playing one game, but with an inner intolerance that denies everything our industry represents...

I hope with this email to find others to "hold the space" with me .... full equality in marriage rights. If you should feel compelled to pass the information about Scott Eckern on to others .... by all means do.

Read more of Egan's comments, along with Hairspray writer Marc Shaiman's email to Egain on the controversy, here.

Comments

[antaeus]

He resigned.

[antaeus]

Resign. It won't go away.

[diablorobotico]

Mr. Eckern has apologized and donated $1000 to Human Rights Campaign to offset his previous donation to Yes on 8.

I find his apology to be sincere and moving. He faults, essentially, his belief in his own church's lies about Prop 8 for leading him to donate to it's passage.

He has done exactly what we would want anyone who had supported Prop 8 to do: listen carefully, learn the truth, change his mind and support equality. He has my admiration for his courage and dignity throughout this unfortunate incident. He also has my congratulations for doing what's right.

[kalapa]

First off: given the environment he works in, he cannot say he was ignorant of the lies that his Mormon Church was spreading through their campaign. It is more likely an excuse he has used since he has been "found out" to have contributed to the Yes Campaign. It is not an "unfortunate incident". He has essentially helped the Yes Campaign render a bigoted proposal into law. He has essentially agreed with the bigots that the LGBT community are not equals.

And has he contributed to the No Campaign? Which I'm sure is still ongoing in its work.

And it would be appropriate for him to work within his church to change people's minds about this issue.

[diablorobotico]

The idea that someone who isn't gay and does not work in a political environment should have detailed knowledge of the ins and outs of gay family law and LGBT civil rights is, at best, not realistic. Mr. Eckern is an expert on Musical Theatre. I wouldn't expect him to understand politics or the law any more than I would want him performing open heart sugery on me.

A religiously devout person believes his church. That makes sense to me.

Yes, he did a bad thing. Now he can never understand that? He can never make up for it? We don't even treat murderers that way.

His contribution to HRC is his contribution to the "No Campaign". That's the point. There are many organizations working toward the goal of reversing Prop 8 and HRC is one of them.

I don't think you or I can judge what is appropriate for him within his church. I would advise him to, at the very least, keep his religion private and separated from the state, but he has to make his choices for himself. Such as the one he made today to understand he was wrong, apologize, and to negate his previous donation.

Mr. Eckern moved swiftly to understand the harm he caused and then he corrected it the best way he could. That is more than most people might do. We have no right to expect more from him or anyone.

[mellene]

Anyone who supported Yes on Prop 8 has to be one sick puppy. No reasonable human being in this century would find depriving people of equal rights to be the RIGHT thing to do. Boycott them.

[CSull2005]

You go girl! :)

[indyleftist]

It seems to me you would have to boycott half of the state of California
While you're at it boycott Obama, Clinton, and any other democratic leader because they also do not support gay rights

Perhaps someone other than Kucinich will support gay rights next time

[Gidster]

They support gay rights.
They just are mistakenly trying to avoid calling it marriage.