Update on 10/9/20: Parents and students of LPH Youth education (before 2012), Lakewood Institute of Theatre (est. 2012), and mainstage productions (prior to April 2020):
Our mandatory reporting policy was activated by a first-person allegation of assault involving a minor during a past Lakewood Playhouse production. Following our policies, this incident was reported to Child Protective Services / Department of Children, Youth, and Families who then turned the information over to the police. Please see our website (https://www.lakewoodplayhouse.org/investigation.html) for the full history of allegations.
Incidents involving the assault and harassment of minors that are reported to the Lakewood Playhouse will be reported to DCYF. It is determined by the police which incidents are looked into further.
Reporting Information
(888) 713-6115 - Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) for Region 5 (Pierce County)
(253) 830-5000 - Lakewood Police Department
Our mandatory reporting policy was activated by a first-person allegation of assault involving a minor during a past Lakewood Playhouse production. Following our policies, this incident was reported to Child Protective Services / Department of Children, Youth, and Families who then turned the information over to the police. Please see our website (https://www.lakewoodplayhouse.org/investigation.html) for the full history of allegations.
Incidents involving the assault and harassment of minors that are reported to the Lakewood Playhouse will be reported to DCYF. It is determined by the police which incidents are looked into further.
Reporting Information
(888) 713-6115 - Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) for Region 5 (Pierce County)
(253) 830-5000 - Lakewood Police Department
Update on 10/7/20: Today, Lakewood Playhouse was made aware of additional accusations from survivors of the former Managing Artistic Director's actions. Administrative staff met this afternoon to contact Child Protective Services, resulting in the report being turned over to the police.
Any and all further statements regarding survivor accusations can be made to any staff member of Lakewood Playhouse as well as any board member.
Update on 9/30/20: This is our further statement regarding the investigation of sexual harassment and assault by John Munn that was concluded on September 24th, 2020.
We believe the individuals who were brave enough to come forward with reports of sexual harassment (unwelcome sexual comments, jokes, and sexual advances), inappropriate levels of trust and intimacy in pursuit of sexual contact (grooming), and unwelcome sexual contact (assault) against John Munn. We believe there are others out there who did not come forward and may never.
We apologize to the victims of harassment and assault, we apologize to anyone who attempted to file a formal or informal complaint of any nature who was not treated with respect and compassion, and we are sorry for the hurt that this process and the years prior have caused the community. We condemn John Munn’s actions and behavior both inside and outside of the Lakewood Playhouse that have caused hurt, fear and degraded the community’s trust in us.
We are trying to do better, to be better, and we are going to mess up sometimes and for that we also apologize. Our growing pains are not only painful, but necessary, so we also owe a thank you to the community for helping us understand where we were letting you down and what needed to be done to make it right. We will try to address questions, to the best of our ability and knowledge. The best format for submitting questions is through our website, as not everyone will see questions or answers posted on Facebook due to the reordering and minimizing of comments and replies. Some may be missed and we do not wish that, but we will do our best to keep both locations as up-to-date as possible.
Investigation Details
We have provided what we are currently able to provide in our apology above. We will not disclose further details of the investigation or the allegations out of respect for those who wish to remain anonymous, and so that any potential future reporters may be confident that their disclosures will not be published and publicly analyzed, even anonymously. Victims and individuals who file reports will not receive retribution for coming forward.
Past Reports and Investigations
We cannot attest to past reports to previous boards about John Munn or a previous investigation. No record of any past reports or allegations against him were in the files (which were previously maintained by John Munn). Current management took possession of the files following John Munn’s resignation and found all personnel files to be either empty or thin. That does not mean there were no previous reports or investigations, only that we do not have any record of them due to bad record keeping and/or purposeful destruction of what should have been permanent records.
According to the present board, last year a third-party relayed information which resulted in a board-led inquiry. No corroborating information was obtained after interviewing 12 mentioned individuals. Information of this inquiry was given to the 3rd party investigator as seemingly related to the more recent reports filed.
From the day a first-person complaint was received, our publicly viewable policies governed this process. Additional reports were added as they came in which showed a pattern of behavior that was inappropriate, and John Munn would have been suspended pending the investigative outcome had he not already resigned. The actions the board can take against former employees is severely limited.
Suspended vs. Banned
The current policies allow for the board to discipline employees accused of sexual harassment with suspension or termination. As John Munn resigned in July, the suspension is the only recourse the board has against him, and that suspension is indefinite and without an end date.
The Lakewood Playhouse is also a business that has the right to refuse service to John Munn. John Munn is banned from the premises.
Legal Action Against John Munn
We are not able to pursue legal action against John Munn at this time. The scope of the investigation was limited to sexual harassment and the assault reported to the board and the findings do not support the pursuit of criminal charges by the Lakewood Playhouse. That does not prevent any who have been sexually harassed to file civil charges against him.
Per our policies, if a sexual or physical assault on the Playhouse grounds is reported, the parties involved will be separated and the police will be called. If a sexual or physical assault happened off property, the Playhouse strongly encourages those victims to file a police report if they have not done so, and the Lakewood Playhouse will stand behind them and will cooperate with any police investigation.
Impact and the Future
John Munn’s actions have damaged the Playhouse’s reputation and exposed weaknesses and loopholes in our policies. As such, a public-assisted review, revision of our policies, procedures, training, transparency, and bylaws was launched on the 25th of July, 2020. We are committed to preventing this from happening again.
Thank you,
Heather Hinds and James Venturini, Interim Co-Managing Artistic Directors
We believe the individuals who were brave enough to come forward with reports of sexual harassment (unwelcome sexual comments, jokes, and sexual advances), inappropriate levels of trust and intimacy in pursuit of sexual contact (grooming), and unwelcome sexual contact (assault) against John Munn. We believe there are others out there who did not come forward and may never.
We apologize to the victims of harassment and assault, we apologize to anyone who attempted to file a formal or informal complaint of any nature who was not treated with respect and compassion, and we are sorry for the hurt that this process and the years prior have caused the community. We condemn John Munn’s actions and behavior both inside and outside of the Lakewood Playhouse that have caused hurt, fear and degraded the community’s trust in us.
We are trying to do better, to be better, and we are going to mess up sometimes and for that we also apologize. Our growing pains are not only painful, but necessary, so we also owe a thank you to the community for helping us understand where we were letting you down and what needed to be done to make it right. We will try to address questions, to the best of our ability and knowledge. The best format for submitting questions is through our website, as not everyone will see questions or answers posted on Facebook due to the reordering and minimizing of comments and replies. Some may be missed and we do not wish that, but we will do our best to keep both locations as up-to-date as possible.
Investigation Details
We have provided what we are currently able to provide in our apology above. We will not disclose further details of the investigation or the allegations out of respect for those who wish to remain anonymous, and so that any potential future reporters may be confident that their disclosures will not be published and publicly analyzed, even anonymously. Victims and individuals who file reports will not receive retribution for coming forward.
Past Reports and Investigations
We cannot attest to past reports to previous boards about John Munn or a previous investigation. No record of any past reports or allegations against him were in the files (which were previously maintained by John Munn). Current management took possession of the files following John Munn’s resignation and found all personnel files to be either empty or thin. That does not mean there were no previous reports or investigations, only that we do not have any record of them due to bad record keeping and/or purposeful destruction of what should have been permanent records.
According to the present board, last year a third-party relayed information which resulted in a board-led inquiry. No corroborating information was obtained after interviewing 12 mentioned individuals. Information of this inquiry was given to the 3rd party investigator as seemingly related to the more recent reports filed.
From the day a first-person complaint was received, our publicly viewable policies governed this process. Additional reports were added as they came in which showed a pattern of behavior that was inappropriate, and John Munn would have been suspended pending the investigative outcome had he not already resigned. The actions the board can take against former employees is severely limited.
Suspended vs. Banned
The current policies allow for the board to discipline employees accused of sexual harassment with suspension or termination. As John Munn resigned in July, the suspension is the only recourse the board has against him, and that suspension is indefinite and without an end date.
The Lakewood Playhouse is also a business that has the right to refuse service to John Munn. John Munn is banned from the premises.
Legal Action Against John Munn
We are not able to pursue legal action against John Munn at this time. The scope of the investigation was limited to sexual harassment and the assault reported to the board and the findings do not support the pursuit of criminal charges by the Lakewood Playhouse. That does not prevent any who have been sexually harassed to file civil charges against him.
Per our policies, if a sexual or physical assault on the Playhouse grounds is reported, the parties involved will be separated and the police will be called. If a sexual or physical assault happened off property, the Playhouse strongly encourages those victims to file a police report if they have not done so, and the Lakewood Playhouse will stand behind them and will cooperate with any police investigation.
Impact and the Future
John Munn’s actions have damaged the Playhouse’s reputation and exposed weaknesses and loopholes in our policies. As such, a public-assisted review, revision of our policies, procedures, training, transparency, and bylaws was launched on the 25th of July, 2020. We are committed to preventing this from happening again.
Thank you,
Heather Hinds and James Venturini, Interim Co-Managing Artistic Directors
Update on 9/29/2020, Investigation Conclusion: The allegations against former Managing Artistic Director John Munn have been found to be credible, and several were corroborated by evidence and witness accounts.
An independent third-party investigation was directed by a Seattle-based employment lawyer who is recognized as a Super Lawyer, as well as having an AV Preeminent rating on Martindale-Hubbell. After a review of the findings and determination, per our bylaws, John Munn is suspended from any activities at the Lakewood Playhouse for violations of Lakewood Playhouse policies as they pertain to Equal Opportunity and Harassment.
We continue to update and revise our policies with input from the community.
An independent third-party investigation was directed by a Seattle-based employment lawyer who is recognized as a Super Lawyer, as well as having an AV Preeminent rating on Martindale-Hubbell. After a review of the findings and determination, per our bylaws, John Munn is suspended from any activities at the Lakewood Playhouse for violations of Lakewood Playhouse policies as they pertain to Equal Opportunity and Harassment.
We continue to update and revise our policies with input from the community.
Update on 9/24/2020: The Lakewood Playhouse will draw from several sources in order to redress and update internal and independent contractor policies and training. One source is the Chicago Theatre Standard that has been recommended by multiple community members, artists, and theatre management professionals. Another source will be recommended best practices and policies that have been implemented in local theatres and non-profits to better educate, inform, protect, and guide the Lakewood Playhouse board, staff, and artists with the goal of providing clarity, transparency, and consistency in communication, policy, and procedure.
We await the conclusion and determination of the third party investigation into reports communicated to the Board of Directors in July. As the investigation is still in progress and in the hands of an investigator and outside legal counsel, the Lakewood Playhouse cannot comment or release any statement on its progress or timeline. Thank you for your continued patience.
We await the conclusion and determination of the third party investigation into reports communicated to the Board of Directors in July. As the investigation is still in progress and in the hands of an investigator and outside legal counsel, the Lakewood Playhouse cannot comment or release any statement on its progress or timeline. Thank you for your continued patience.
First posted on 8/3/2020. To the Seattle/Tacoma South Sound Theatre Community: We are listening and what we have heard raises concerns. We take such allegations seriously and will work to respond fully and appropriately. John Munn resigned as Managing Artistic Director on the 21st of July and the Board accepted his resignation, but are sufficiently concerned with recent reports that we will proceed as laid out by our policies as they pertain to harassment and discrimination linked HERE.
Regardless of an investigative outcome, the Lakewood Playhouse Board and Staff intend a total redress and training on our harassment and discrimination policies. This will include a public comment for additions and changes, and several members of the local community have already put forth suggestions to assist the Lakewood Playhouse in moving into the future as a community partner and ally. The Lakewood Playhouse strives to return to our purpose of creating engaging live theatre.
Regardless of an investigative outcome, the Lakewood Playhouse Board and Staff intend a total redress and training on our harassment and discrimination policies. This will include a public comment for additions and changes, and several members of the local community have already put forth suggestions to assist the Lakewood Playhouse in moving into the future as a community partner and ally. The Lakewood Playhouse strives to return to our purpose of creating engaging live theatre.