By disrespecting understudies, Charlotte St. Martin needs to go

UPDATE:(12/22, 2:30 PM) - St. Martin has issued an apology for her earlier comments. She states:

"I sincerely apologize about my recent comments about understudies and swings. I clearly misunderstood and for that I am truly sorry. After speaking with several understudies and swings this morning I realize how this mistake has hurt many people. There was never any intention of disrespect. I do not make theatre but am committed to its success and to acknowledging the immense work of those who bring it to life eight shows a week and 52 weeks a year. Again, please accept my apology.”

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I’m not going to sugarcoat it, the Broadway community is reeling right now. Omicron is on the rise. Performances are being canceled on a daily basis. Anxiety about employment is at an all-time high among some of the theatre employees I’ve spoken to.

What this community and industry need right now is a clear plan, definitive answers to questions, and concise, strong leadership.

What they don’t need are disrespectful comments throwing members of the community under the proverbial bus. They don’t need it from disgruntled ticket-buyers. They don’t need it from trolling journalists. And they certainly don’t need it from the president of The Broadway League.

But Charlotte St. Martin can’t seem to help herself.

While trying to explain why shows are canceling performances in an interview by The Hollywood Reporter. St. Martin said the following:

“My educated guess is the newer shows maybe have understudies that aren’t as efficient in delivering the role as the lead is. Some of the older shows have more experienced understudies and more experienced swings.”

I’ve read this comment over and over again trying to make sense of it. I’ve even tried making an “educated guess” as to what St. Martin was really trying to say. But the truth is, there’s no excuse for it. It’s a terrible thing to say. And it proves, yet again, St. Martin’s time in this position has passed her by and it’s time for her to go.

If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, you know I haven’t been a fan of St. Martin’s tenure as president of The Broadway League. From her inconsistent policy on dimming the lights for Broadway artists who died, to her donating money to an anti-LGBTQ Senator from Missouri, to the terrible way they handled the Tony Awards, it’s just been bad decision after bad decision.

Her latest comments, intentional or not, show that St. Martin is unfit to continue to lead this trade association. And her defiant position to not even consider a temporary shutdown of the industry(which I think is becoming a better option as the days pass), is questionable. For someone who gets paid north of $500,000 annually, this industry deserves better. I fully expect her to apologize for her comments soon, but it’s too little-too late.

But I want to end this piece by praising understudies and swings who were so disrespected by a person of power within this industry. We know how talented these folks are. We know that they were cast in such roles because of their talents. We also know that some of them stepped into these roles and won Tonys for them. But right now, we know how hard these folks are working. I’ve heard from plenty of them.

They need our support more than ever. They need our applause more than ever. They don’t need to be disrespected or blamed for cancellations by a “leader” making “educated guesses” about their talents or experience. Not now. Not ever.