Actor Fired After Confronting Anti-Gay Heckler During CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF Performance, USA

BroadwayWorld.com has reported that American actor John Lacey was fired after physically confronting a heckler during a performance of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on 31 May, with another actor (Anton Troy) in the company also resigning in solidarity.

Both actors appeared on television in Los Angeles to talk about the incident:

“It caught me by surprise, and once the anger set in, and I heard him say it a second time, I didn’t see what my options were. Loving your fellow man is what we’re here to do. I’d do it again”, Lacey said during the interview. (Watch the interview here).

Take a look at the original article from BroadwayWorld and then read on..

Australian actor and writer Chris Fung has written this contemplation on the incident. Let us know what YOU think?

What do you think?

 

On one hand, to be the first to descend to violence in any matter, regardless of provocation is a waste of our ability to reason and speak.

One of the commentors made the point that they believe the responsibility of the actor is to resolve understanding of these issues through words and not fists, that this is the beauty and power of the craft.

IS it allowable for actors to not be in complete control of their emotions, to be vulnerable and susceptible to jibes? Are we paid to BE truly emotional, or ‘merely’ to give the appearance of true emotion?

On the other hand, how much needling warrants physical confrontation? How much abuse before you MUST act?

I am of the opinion that unless your physical intervention prevents harm, that it is never correct to initiate violence.

Would it have been different if this man’s slurs were any stronger//weaker?

Personally I think it was a mistake for the actor to take things into his own hands, it was a mistake for someone to not have done it for him and it was a mistake to fire the actor.

In an ideal world my fix would be to re-recruit the talent, apologise to the patron for how he was manhandled, lifetime ban the patron, and release a media statement explaining all of this.

Then I would extend my season, book another theatre and run on the great deal of publicity that the incident would have generated.

Everybody gets rich, story gets a resolution, everybody (but the patron) wins.

What do you think?