We need to seize this moment to end harassment - EquityUK

WORDS PHIL PEMBERTON PHOTOGRAPHY PAUL STUART

Sexual harassment has been in the marrow of our industry, but we are going to make it so utterly unacceptable that even the most hardline harassers will refrain from moving in on someone,” says Maureen. “As revelation after revelation came out over the past months it has made me so angry. There has been a culture of fear in our business that has been holding people back from getting support. Members need to be reassured that the union is here for them and we will fight tooth and nail to make changes in the workplace.”

Maureen argues that this fear of speaking out can begin as early as drama school and is unique to the entertainment profession. “Of course, as we have seen with recent revelations about Parliament or charity events run by City millionaires, sexual harassment is endemic in our culture,” she says. “But it is the precarious nature of this business and the inherent vulnerability in performing that makes it so vital that our workplaces are safe environments.”

“Like so many in the entertainment industry, I have had my own experiences of harassment,” she continues. “At drama school a person in authority suggested I needed to lose my virginity to become a good actor and that, and the inference that he should be the one to ‘help me out’ with this, stayed with me for a long time.

I also was a bystander when a young stage manager showed me a truly disgusting note she had received from a member of the cast. I tried to help but I did not really know what to do. I don’t want anybody to feel like that again. I feel guilty and angry about that to this day.”