Community Corner
Israel Horovitz Resigns From Theater Co Amid Sex Assault Claims
Israel Horovitz, founder of the Gloucester Stage and father of Beastie Boy Adam (Ad-Roc) Horowitz has resigned from the theater's board.
GLOUCESTER, MA — Israel Horovitz, the founding artistic director of one of the North Shore's most prominent theater companies, resigned following allegations of sexually assaulting a young actor in New York and a damning New York Times report detailing several more allegations.
Horovitz denied the accusations regarding the New York actor, according to Liz Neumeier, president of the Gloucester Stage. Neumeier said in an email Horovitz was accused years ago of doing something similar in Gloucester.
"We were appalled. Israel denied the allegations and asked to meet with the full Board. After he was unable to attend the meeting, he resigned and is no longer an ex-officio member of the board of directors," said Liz Neumeier in the email to patrons.
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The Times reported that nine women have come forward with allegations of violations of trust by a man they told the Times they considered a mentor and friend. Horovitz is the award-winning author of more than 70 plays.
Horowitz told the Times he remembered the events differently.
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Theater community members took to social media to respond.
"Troubling times at Gloucester Stage," wrote Jeff Wolf Zinn an actor at the company and posted the letter.
Horowitz was born in Wakefield in 1939 and has at least five children from several marriages, according to several bios. One of his sons is Adam Keefe, known as Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys.
What's next?
Anna Feder, curator of Bright Lights Film Series at Emerson College, said she has been having in-class discussions about the wave of accusations in the film and cinema industry. But more conversations need to be had, she said, so she's putting together a campus wide discussion this spring to bring in folks from film, journalism and theater to talk about this moment.
"We have to really look at the power dynamics and power inequity that's sort of been a breeding ground for sexual misconduct," she said. "It's about starting a conversation about 'how do we change this?'"
She said what will help most is not just about getting rid of people, but really looking at the climate in those industries and figuring out what might have allowed this to go on for so long.
As difficult as details of the conversation may be, the fact that it's happening at all is a good thing, she said.
"It's about time. Just seeing the conversation happening is incredibly fantastic and it's made me incredibly hopeful."
Although the conversations she has had have focused more around film and cinema, where a couple of high-profile allegations forced one famous cinema to shut down and another to fight in order to regain trust, she says it translates to the theater industry.
"Art house cinemas survive as community space, and places like Cinefamily and Drafthouse have broken that trust," she said. "Theater spaces create community - they have a membership, people have certain ownership of a theater space or an affinity for a certain acting troop or a certain playwright. So they're very similar in that way."
If cinema spaces and theater spaces are to survive, they need to be safe spaces free of mistrust, she said.
Read the full letter from the theater:
Dear Friends,
We come to our theater to explore and reveal the deepest and most intimate aspects of human behavior. This is a very special way of sharing our experience and should ennoble us.
When we recently learned that our founding artistic director, Israel Horovitz, has been accused of sexually assaulting a young actor in NYC - repeating conduct he allegedly engaged in, here at GSC, decades ago - we were appalled. Israel denied the allegations and asked to meet with the full Board. After he was unable to attend the meeting, he resigned and is no longer an ex-officio member of the board of directors.
It is of the utmost importance that our theater home be a safe space for everyone: our actors, artistic and production teams, staff, volunteers, apprentices and patrons. It is deeply troubling that the person whose work, for decades, has been most central to GSC's mission and brand would so egregiously violate that space and put at risk the safety and welfare of those in his charge.
The New York Times made us aware that they will shortly publish an article about Israel, and have nine women on the record making accusations about his sexual harassment and assaults. Managing Director Jeff Zinn and I have responded to the reporter's questions, but I want you to hear about these recent events directly from us.
Our hearts go out to the many women who are, once again, reliving the harassment and assaults they endured. We recognize that in the past their reports were grossly mishandled. The Board is united and committed to ensuring that such behavior does not take place at Gloucester Stage and we will take any reports seriously.
As our season drew to a close, and while reading the appalling news about Harvey Weinstein and so many others, we began thinking of how Gloucester Stage could help change the culture in the theater business through our actions and example, so that as our apprentices move through their careers they will be empowered to speak up, for themselves and for others. We will redouble our efforts to fulfilling our mission to "provide a nurturing work environment," in deeds, not just words.
Liz Neumeier
Board President
Read the full New York Times article here: Israel Horovitz Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Breaking News Alert More to come
PHOTO At top: Israel Horovitz attends AARPs 14th Annual Movies for Grownups Awards Gala with Porsche at the Beverly Wilshire on Monday, February 2 in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision for Porsche/AP Images)
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