Old Vic Theater Creates New Way for Employees to Report Harassment

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LONDON — The Old Vic theater here has begun an initiative to address inappropriate behavior following allegations of misconduct by the actor Kevin Spacey during his time as the theater’s artistic director.

The plan, known as the Guardians Programme, is an alternate channel for employees to report instances of harassment outside of the formal structure of management and human resources.

“We want everyone to have a way to share their concerns with someone outside of the ‘regular’ reporting line,” Kate Varah, executive director at the Old Vic, said in a statement. “Our Guardians will actively listen and support, offering confidential advice on options, with discretion and empathy.”

The Old Vic’s program comes as a report published by the British theater magazine The Stage found that one in three theater professionals and students among its registered users polled said they had experienced sexual harassment.

The report, which was answered by 1,050 theater workers including performers, backstage workers, front-of-house staff and management, described harassment and bullying as “ingrained into the theater culture.”

Of the respondents, 31 percent said they had encountered sexual harassment, and nearly 8 percent said they had been sexually assaulted at work. More than 40 percent of respondents said they had been bullied.

Since the allegations against Harvey Weinstein surfaced in October 2017, accusations of misconduct have also emerged within British theater. In October, The Guardian reported that the prominent British director Max Stafford-Clark was forced to step down from Out of Joint, the production company he founded, because a female staff member made a formal complaint in July alleging he made lewd comments to her.

In a similar vein to the #MeToo movement, British theater is now undergoing its own reckoning. In November, Vicky Featherstone, artistic director of the Royal Court theater, released a code of behavior for the theater industry.

The same month, following accusations of sexual misconduct against Mr. Spacey, the Old Vic opened an investigation into his 11-tenure as artistic director (from 2004 to 2015), which resulted in 20 people coming forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior.

Among the report’s findings was a reluctance on the part of staff members to come forward with their allegations. The report said of Mr. Spacey: “The investigation found that his stardom and status at the Old Vic may have prevented people, and in particular junior staff or young actors, from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help.”

The Stage’s report found that 67 percent of those who said they had experienced either harassment or bullying at work did not report it. One respondent wrote: “It has never been clear to me how to report. I am not sure I even considered it worth reporting at the time, but I see now that is because it’s so normalized.”