On October 30, the National Dramatic Center (CDN) fired an actor from the cast of The seagull after the complaint of sexual harassment by other members of the artistic team of the production, which is being performed until next Sunday at the Valle-Inclán theater in Madrid. The institution learned of the facts on October 29 and reported it to the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (Inaem), on which it depends directly, which immediately activated the Sexual Harassment Protocol of the Ministry of Culture.
After carrying out an internal investigation, Inaem “considered necessary and proportionate the immediate separation of the person involved from all work that involved contact with the affected people, so on October 30, the worker involved was sent his dismissal letter,” he explains. a spokesperson for the organization told this newspaper, which forced the suspension of the function that afternoon.
The performances continued the next day without the causes of the change in the cast being revealed. But this Thursday some posters appeared on the doors of the Valle-Inclán theater with the following message: “In the play The seagulldirected by Chela de Ferrari, sexual harassment has been reported. The CDN knows it, hides it and is complicit.” Hours later, actress Macarena Sanz, a member of the cast of ‘La gaviota’, published a message on her Instagram account in which she explained: “If Inaem and the CDN did not make public the case of harassment that we have suffered, it is because We victims ask it. I am making this post because I want to respond to this false information and also add that the victims have felt accompanied, protected and listened to by our director, by the CDN and by Inaem, who as soon as they knew about it they took action on the matter in a manner exemplary, and they replaced it.”
From Inaem they also explain that the events were not publicized due to the “express desire” of the victims “that their right to privacy be respected, having at all times the protection of the affected people and compliance with the Law as priorities.” of Data Protection”.
The seagull is a production of the National Dramatic Center directed by Chela de Ferrari. It is a free version of Chekhov’s classic that has a cast of mostly visually impaired actors. It premiered on July 15 at the Avignon Festival and has been performed since October 9 at Valle-Inclán, where it will end its performances this coming Sunday.