Dear Friends,
We are as shocked and saddened as anyone to learn of the serious allegations regarding one of our actors, Jack Dalton. The fact that Mr. Dalton is alleged to have preyed on a child, while participating as an actor in a play that depicts the damage such behavior does to families and communities, adds to the difficulty of making sense of what to do next.
Here is Vera Starbard’s thoughtful, heartfelt response.
The theatre has great partners in the behavioral health field that supported our production and our artists involved in the play, and we’ve been in contact to confirm they will help us again as we deal with the aftermath of this news.
Most of all, we are reminded that the play Vera Starbard wrote describes a community in the aftermath of discovering an abuser and their victims, much as we are now. This news is affirming–if gut wrenching–of the need to speak up and call for an end to the cycle that perpetuates predatory behavior and creates new victims. The need to speak is the same as the need to support, to end isolation created by silence, to call for healing.
We are not alone, none of us is alone, as long as we share our true hearts.
Regarding our next steps:
As an arts organization dedicated to telling stories in the form of theatre, we do not judge, but leave that to the legal system.
We are not counselors, but recommend those services where needed. In Juneau, Perseverance is grateful for the services of SEARHC and AWARE. In Anchorage, STAR and the Alaska Children’s Trust provided invaluable support during the making of Our Voices Will Be Heard.
Most of all, we support our playwright, Vera Starbard, in her efforts to make theatre that is true and effective at bringing to life on the stage the Alaska that she loves. We support all of the writers and artists, especially actors, who put so much of themselves into creating worlds for us to experience. We support our audiences and communities with what we make. Particularly when we make worlds of Alaska come alive on stage, we seek to make those worlds as true as we can: Sometimes funny, always loving, sometimes frightening, and never alone, because theatre is always a shared experience between us as storytellers, and our community in attendance.
As we seek understanding and a path forward, we do so in community with you. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Art Rotch
Artistic Director, Perseverance Theatre