sick note

& support the victory gardens staff

Hi friends,

Unfortunately, there’s no newsletter this week — I tested positive for COVID the day after I got back from Norway and the ensuing fatigue has knocked your girl out. (Sleeping for 12 hours a day is great for recovery, not-so-much for writing, thinking, or dealing with my post-vacation inbox.)

While I was gone, the Victory Gardens board fired the remaining 18 staff members, who were in the process of unionization. (I’m not a labor expert but that doesn’t sound legal to me!) Per the Board, the dismissals were necessary as the company is transitioning into a presenting organization that “brings productions to our stage by theaters that do not have a permanent home.”

The statement neglects to mention that Victory Gardens already was hosting itinerant theatre companies in its previous model. Teatro Vista, Sideshow Theatre Company, and Firebrand Theatre — the past, present, and future resident companies at Victory Gardens — co-authored an open letter to the Board on July 18th vowing not to return until the demands of the staff and resident artists were met.

The Board’s statement also cites “staffing gaps as more and more workers have left the nonprofit theater” as a reason for the transition, putting the onus on departing workers while refusing to acknowledge their own inaction in hiring an Executive Director and the many pleas from the overworked staff to fill other open administrative and production positions. (This was outlined in the resident artists’ resignation letter on July 9th.) What’s the point of issuing a statement so flimsy and easily refutable that a COVID-riddled, fatigued niche newsletter writer can point out the discrepancies and hypocrisies with ease? I guess because the Chicago Tribune will just regurgitate whatever the Board says. (No, I’m not linking to it, support the Chicago Reader instead.)

If you’d like to support the Victory Garden staffers, here are two ways:

• The GoFundMe for the recently terminated employees is accepting donations until Friday, September 16th. They reached their initial goal of $20,000, but the funds will be split equally 18 ways so if you have the means, please throw them some cash. (COBRA premiums are expensive!)

• The now out-of-work employees have set up a Google Drive with their resumes, bios, and contact information. (It’s still in process, so keep checking back for more materials.) I will never forget the people who gave me one-off gigs and opportunities in the immediate aftermath of my layoff and I hope some NFTG subscribers can extend the same kindness to these folks as they transition into new careers.

I will hopefully be back in action next week! Thank you for understanding.

xoxo
Lauren