Gay artists seek boycott of Sacramento theater

[cboy4]

Good. Hit 'em in the pocketbook

(11-11) 16:33 PST Sacramento, CA (AP) --

Gay and lesbian artists are seeking a boycott of Sacramento's oldest performing arts company after its artistic director contributed toward Proposition 8. :wtf:

Campaign records show Scott Eckern of the California Musical Theater contributed $1,000 to the voter-approved initiative, which wrote a ban on same-sex marriages into the state Constitution.

"Hairspray" composer Marc Shaiman is among those leading the boycott effort.

California Musical Theater is the state's largest nonprofit musical theater company. It produces Sacramento's annual Music Circus and plays at Broadway Sacramento and the newly opened Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

Eckern, a 25-year veteran of the company, issued an online apology through the theater publication, Playbill. He is the company's chief operating officer and has been its artistic director since 2002.

"I honestly had no idea that this would be the reaction," Eckern wrote. :eyes: "I chose to act upon my belief that the traditional definition of marriage should be preserved. :puke: I support each individual to have rights and access and I understand that in California, domestic partnerships come with the same rights that come with marriage." :eyes:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/11/11/state/n103927S55.DTL

[WillParkinson]

1. I had no idea...

that saying fuck you to the people I work with would upset them....

[kenny blankenship]

8. I had no idea...

my contributions could be traced back to me!

[Jamastiene]

2. Their excuses are ALWAYS so LAME.

They are not even trying.
:eyes:

Maybe we should listen to what someone said the other day and not let up this time. They think they can just do this to us and we'll take it. That's why we keep losing.

Yes, hit them in the pocketbook and anywhere else (by legal means) we can hit them.

[Divine Discontent]

3. lol- I had no idea the GLBT community would be upset at me, the artistic director of the theater

saying no marriage to you gay people!

what a douche he is... such a douche. he has possibly killed that theater, unless he leaves.

great to see this!

[cboy4]

4. That's what I hope ... I hope he's forced to resign....I really

have no inherent interests in seeing the theater killed.

Lots of gay people depend on that place.

[Divine Discontent]

5. then that is what I hope for too... ur right, the theater is important to many GLBT & friends

be sad to see it ruined by this numbskull...

[The Great Escape]

6. Sorry If Already Posted....

looks like he graduated from BYU in 1983....sigh.....


http://cfac.byu.edu/index.php?id=1421

[terrya]

7. The artistic director needs to be fired.

This man has to be the dumbest person on the planet. Did he NOT know that his contribution to this blatanly discriminatory act would cause pain among some people in the theater company?

[cboy4]

9. DONE

CMT artistic director quits in fallout from Prop. 8 support

By Niesha Lofing
[e-mail]
Published: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008

California Musical Theatre's artistic director, Scott Eckern, resigned from his post today amid controversy over a donation he made to the Proposition 8 campaign to ban gay marriage.

Eckern gave $1,000 in support of Proposition 8, a donation that sparked criticism from theater workers and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

"We have released a statement that Scott resigned," said Chris McSwain, community affairs director for the theater company. He declined to comment further.

According to the statement, the theater company's board of directors received notice today from executive producer Richard Lewis saying that Eckern has resigned.

http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/story/1391705.html


Scott Eckern, who was Caifornia Musical Theatre's artistic
director, resigned today because of controversy over a political donation he made.

[ellius101]

10. Read that he resigned today