by A playwright and actress who says that she was discriminated against by Shakespeare’s Globe Theater after she has blown the whistle for sexual abuse through a fellow actor, takes her case to a labor court.
The 40 -year -old Athena Stevens was a deputy artist at the famous venue on the bank of the river when she said she was exposed to discrimination, victimization and harassment.
Ms. Stevens, a candidate for the Olivier Award and founding member of the Women’s Equality Party, will face a theater bosses against theater bosses against theater bosses.
Before the hearing, she talked about the “cruel battle”, which she endured when obtaining a labor court against the event location.
“A role in The Globe is a dream that has become true,” she said.
“It was one of the proudest achievements of my life after I fought for decades to find a creative home in the theater industry. For me, the globe became this place where I saw myself, appreciated and encouraged and asked to bring the institution into a progressive future of inclusion and diversity.
“Every time I see an advertisement for the Shakespeares Globe Theater, my heart sinks.
“I never wanted to be in this position and have suffered a cruel struggle to achieve this terrible point. I have already had a significant impact on my mental and physical health as a result of the behavior of the globe. I am no longer the person I was before. “
The theater rejected it to say what its defense against the Tribunal claim will be, except that it will continue to be accused of the allegations “and added:” We will not comment on to support and allow and only process them for everyone. “
Ms. Stevens suffered a serious brain injury at birth, which meant that she had serious lifelong medical difficulties such as cerebral paralysis and the use of a wheelchair.
In 2018 she became an associated artist at The Globe in an unpaid role, which she brought into an outstanding position for freelance work.
In her assertion, Ms. Stevens said that she had confronted a number of obstacles, including the rejection of access to the stage for a performance and the refusal of the entry through the stage door, since Globe employees did not believe that she worked there.
After the rape and murder of Sarah Everard in 2021, she says that she announced to a theater worker that an actor had “sexually abused” her in the past.
This actor – which was not mentioned in legal papers – was then discontinued for a production in the globe, which was to start rehearsals in January 2022.
In her claims for discrimination, Ms. Stevens left the reaction to the situation, such as the managing director of the theater, Lotte Buchan, suggested an informal “chat” in the bar on her disclosure.
Ms. Stevens says that the e -mail is “extremely traumatic” and sent it into a shock of what sleepless nights, trembled and sweated and a fall from her chair.
Ms. Stevens says that the actor’s sexual abuse happened when he showed her pictures of his partner at the time without consent.
She showed video statements of the incident on a cell phone and handed it over to board members in the globe, but claims that the film material was not quickly viewed. She accuses theater bosses to react slowly to her disclosure, and says she has accompanied her accusation with the actor’s voicemails, who “threatens to do it again”.
Ms. Stevens says the theater then said that it would “pause this work relationship”.
As part of her claim, she refers to a public explanation of the managing director of the theater, Neil Constable, who says that her claim was “incredibly serious” and admitted: “We recognize that our protective procedure for protection against Athena reports immediately after reporting on her experience.
“We deeply regret this and have sincerely communicated this to Athena.”
The theater said the mistake had been treated and an internal examination was initiated.
The three -week hearing at the South London Employment Tribunal is scheduled to begin on Monday.
