Three staff members resigned from Playhouse Merced last week— halting production of youth performances for the foreseeable future.
Rose Pino, Alyssa McCabe and Emily McSwain submitted their joint letter of resignation to the Playhouse board on Thursday, Sept.18, citing a hostile work environment that prevented them from performing their jobs. Working at Playhouse no longer felt safe for them, but more importantly for the children attending rehearsals, the three employees wrote.
Pino and McCabe led the Conservatory program at Playhouse, where parents can enroll their children in productions put on at the Playhouse. Since August, 41 kids attended classes Tuesdays and Thursdays to rehearse for the production “Oliver! Jr.”
Hourly, paid staff positions at Playhouse include box office associate, office manager, education director, education assistant and outreach coordinator, according to Emily McSwain, former box office and digital marketing associate. Without Pino and McCabe, “Oliver! Jr.” is on hold.
The resignations from Playhouse come eight days after September’s tumultuous board meeting. Tensions between board members and the public erupted in yelling and expletives. Parents escorted their children out of the room, and police eventually dispersed the gathering. The board is split after the board majority attempted to remove its president and her allies, who in turn alleged racism.
Days after the board meeting, two producers pulled three shows from the theater’s fall lineup, including one other Conservatory show, “Holiday Follies.” The shows “Perennial Players” and “Phantasm in the Footlights” were also pulled.
Stacie Guzman is part of the board majority who tried to remove the board president. Guzman said she and the other board members don’t have access to the Playhouse building or accounts. Addressing the public’s concerns, she said, is on hold.
“We are not in a position – without control of the building and the resources over there – to be able to address that shortcoming, or try to problem solve,” Guzman said in an interview with The Merced FOCUS.
Employees quit Playhouse, parents offer support
Devastated, the three employees announced their departure at a parent meeting on Thursday.
Around 30 parents settled into the auditorium, holding their collective breath and agenda packets.
While embracing each other, Pino, McCabe and McSwain read a statement from the auditorium stage. Through tears, they told parents how much Playhouse meant to them and how much they loved working with the kids.
“Please don’t feel like we’re just abandoning them,” McCabe wept. “It’s so hard for us, I promise, and we’re so sorry to do this to you.”
The children didn’t know their instructors resigned.
“I got the agenda, and I read it, and my heart just dropped to my feet,” said Lana Weatherly, whose 9-year-old daughter was cast as Jack Dawkins in “Oliver! Jr.”
When Pino got ready for class on Thursday, she said she felt like she was dressing for a funeral. Donned in all black, the day was full of mourning, but Pino tried to transform it into a celebration of life.
The goal was to have fun – Pino brought chips, and a parent brought donuts. The group rehearsed with costumes and stage lights before the parent meeting.
Pino worked with the Playhouse Conservatory program as an assistant starting in August 2024, and shortly after became the program’s education and youth outreach director. This August, she started feeling sick coming to work.
While announcing their departure, McCabe recommended parents pull their kids out of Playhouse and explore other local theater options, such as Accessible Arts Merced and the Multicultural Arts Center.
Parents in the audience shared an outpouring of understanding over the staff’s difficult decision. Applause erupted after one parent thanked the resigning employees for their work at Playhouse.
Guzman and fellow board member Brooke Gutierrez, who both have children in the Conservatory program, were among those in attendance. They joined the three employees on stage to provide support.
Contracts, miscommunication prompt staff to leave
Communication and budget issues at Playhouse Merced made it increasingly difficult to work there, according to the three former employees.
As early as January, Pino and McCabe were not receiving communication, respect or general help from the board, Pino told The FOCUS in an interview. It wasn’t until the day before the spring shows started that Pino received a budget, and it allegedly took months to get set pieces and costumes.
“They were micromanaging everything,” Pino said. “I basically had no power until they said, ‘As long as it doesn’t cost money, you can do what you want.’ Because I think they were tired from receiving a lot of emails from me, because I had a lot of energy and determination.”
The choreographer, music director, set designer and costumer did not have contracts, Pino said. Without that, there is no guarantee they’ll be paid, she explained.
Sal Lopez was in charge of choreographing “Oliver! Jr.” He never received a contract, he said, but was in communication with Pino about trying to obtain one. Working without a contract was worrying, he said.
“As people were leaving Playhouse — producers, directors, shows — suddenly it felt as though we were on this island alone in the sea of just this chaos,” Pino said.
Leaving Playhouse was heartbreaking but the right decision, Pino said.
“I was crying and breaking down because I didn’t want to leave. None of us wanted to leave. It felt like this was us being forced to,” Pino said. “But at the same time, it also was a bit of a relief, because we’re leaving on our terms.”
Actors, producers pivot after shows pulled from Playhouse
With shows pulled at Playhouse, actors and parents are seeking new theater opportunities in Merced.
Producer Sandra Hay pulled “Perennial Players” in the days following the tumultuous board meeting. The play was set to run in late September. Pulling the shows will protect her brand and program, Hay said, but she’s still trying to find a place to host the production.
“This has been the most stressful few days I have had in a long time, because I have a responsibility to my cast…I need a place to put on a show for them,” she said. “So I have been calling everything, every place I can think of.”
Corey Strauss, who produced “Phantasm In the Footlights” and “Holiday Follies” declined to be interviewed. “Phantasm In the Footlights” was set to run Oct. 23-25 at Playhouse. It will be showing the following weekend at The State Theatre of Modesto as originally scheduled.
After “Oliver! Jr.” was put on hold, Lana Weatherly decided to tell her daughter the next day after school.
For 30 minutes, Lana explained to her daughter why she could no longer attend rehearsals at Playhouse. There were lots of tears and questions, but most of all, resilience, she said. Ariana dried her eyes and set her sights on the MAC, where she joined a youth singing ensemble that day.
“Mom, I’m gonna persevere in this,” Ariana said.
Since last week’s parent meeting, community members created a Save Playhouse group on Facebook. One post from Sept. 19 called upon supporters to attend Tuesday’s school board meeting.
Allen Brooks, husband of Playhouse board president Sheilah Brooks, stood up to defend her when public comment resumed at the last Playhouse board meeting. He interrupted a woman and streamed it on his Facebook page. Brooks is an elected trustee for Merced City School District’s board of education.
The FOCUS reached out to Sheilah Brooks for comment.
Merced FOCUS reporter Alma Villegas contributed to this story.