I’ve a very protective person. When I have a team that I’m leading and someone on that team is unjustifiably attacked, I get defensive. The same is true for institutions that I care about, such as REP, the Colony, and Cabrillo. Perhaps that is why the incident at Rep East that occurred last Saturday has been bothering me so. I wrote up my feelings in a prior blog post, and have been defending REP on Bitter Lemons (emphasizing always that I’m only a subscriber and patron, no other connection). Still, I’ve been really worried about the REP leadership — particularly O and Mikee — who must be feeling pretty beat up and besieged. They must feel like Pee-Wee Herman felt so many years ago — one incident is magnified to destroy a good reputation. I’m not saying that what happened on the REP side was 100% perfect [ETA: actually, they never got the chance to make it perfect, and it is now clear they would have if informed.], but it is also not the lopsided lapse that the media has been making this out to be. Working in the security field, I know well that incident response is an area often neglected until the first incident occurs; this was a learning experience and not a debacle.
I would like to do something to uplift the spirits of those involved. I created the graphic you see in this post: “I Support the 81”. Post it on Facebook and G+. Tag those you know who still believe in REP, in its mission, and the importance of quality professional theatre in the Northern San Fernando Valley and the Northern part of Los Angeles. Let’s do something to fight the haters out there.
I support the 81.
