When Joseph C. Walsh tendered his resignation with the Board of Directors, he was told

not to share his resignation with the staff. Shortly thereafter the board accidentally leaked the information to staff. During the last year, it became clear to us that his mental and physical health was being compromised. His health required him to resign, due to the excessive workload caused by the Board's slow action in either promoting capable staff members from within or hiring a new Managing Director. While we, as a staff, were heartbroken to learn of Joe's resignation on June 7, we also supported his decision to do what was best for himself.

The next blow to staff morale came when it was clear that our Artistic Directing Consultant, Roberta Emerson, was overlooked for the position of Interim Artistic Director. Roberta is well qualified, established, a highly trusted member of the Central Florida theatre community, and directed Beauty and the Beast; one of the best-received shows in Garden Theatre history, 110% of the ticket sales goal was met, and we had 280 students attend- with our focus on including Title I schools. Our production of Beauty and the Beast also drew the attention of Disney Theatricals, who came to Winter Garden from New York to experience the community we have all created and to produce a mini-documentary about the work it took to get there. The internal turmoil between Garden Theatre Staff and the Board of Directors, the distrust of the board reflected by the theatre community on our social platforms, Joe leaving, and Roberta being overlooked have all resulted in difficulties with staffing shows for our upcoming 15th Season. We have experienced a mass exodus of artistic and technical teams. Further, we have struggled to retain our summer teaching artists and bring in teaching artists for our fall classes. All of these facts have led to the cancellation of A Bronx Tale and have created uncertainty about further shows and events in the 15th season. As a staff, we have been pushed into a position of exhaustion, both physically and mentally. We have come to this place after many of us have been put into a position of taking on the responsibilities of jobs outside our purview due to the delay in hiring senior management and the slowed process of filling vacant staff positions. As staff, we are stewards of Garden Theatre. Decisions and statements being made on the theatre's behalf without the staff's knowledge limits our ability to fulfill Garden Theatre's mission and continue programming at the standards the community expects of us. The Garden Theatre Staff was continuously asked for patience, told to wait, and were then met with ridicule when a board member said that we were unprofessional and emotional in the way we have communicated with the Board. Our interactions with the Board have been met with unanswered questions, aggression, retaliatory behavior, and toxicity. We are now without an Artistic Director and our current Interim Managing Director is out of state and part-time. We want to focus our energy on creating beautiful, lively, and affecting art; as is our charge as a community-owned theatre company. As a non-profit theatre company, Garden Theatre relies on donations and grants, both of which have been in jeopardy after recent events. Diversity, equity and inclusion play a pivotal role when applying for funding with some of our current funders; we could risk losing those grants if our teams continue to pull out of shows and education. Additionally, the lack of a Managing Director caused administrative negligence in our grant permitting, meaning that for at least 30 days, as a non-profit theatre, we were unable to accept donations.

If all of this has been going on, why are you just hearing from us as a unified front now?

Joe's resignation sparked us to voice our concerns more openly because, without him, the staff does not feel protected, and we do not trust the board to choose the kind of leadership the community deserves and is asking for. We have tried to work internally, but as we have felt unheard and disrespected, we are unsure of any other path forward than that which we have chosen. The board has been deliberate in their lack of communication, disrespect of Garden Theatre Staff members, dismissal of valid questions and concerns, and bullying behavior. We will not let this continue in silence.