As one who has been Charles Marowitz’s champion lo these many years, it saddens me to read his bitter, invidious letter in The Malibu Times accusing me of “infractions” together with a sinister plot against him. (He has never told me what these “infractions” are.)
His playwright’s inventive mind has spewed forth invectives toward myself and the board of directors of the Malibu Stage Co. It reads a plausible plot and it is entirely untrue.
Twelve years ago, at the invitation of Charles Marowitz, I began working with him to build a professional theatre in Malibu. After five years of conflict with our artistic director, the first board of highly talented and qualified board members resigned en masse. At the first time I pleaded with them not to abandon the theatre that was just becoming a reality. To no avail.
A second board, chosen by Charles, was duly formed. As the Stage Company’s president, I sat down with the new board. In a very short time the new members and I became alienated when I defended Charles against some of their unjust charges-abuse of funds, etc.
In a frustrated attempt to unseat Marowitz, they gave up and resigned in a collective rage against his abusive manner and his destructive public relation performances.
Now we have a third board of stalwarts who once again have had to face the creative dragon. After several years of dealing with his disruptive manner, the board staunchly took the only course necessary to preserve the theatre. And this time, I agreed!
My heart was never in the decision-but given our artistic director’s history and our future prospect under his influence-there was no other choice. It is indeed a tragedy that a man so gifted has once again set himself on the same worn, self-destructive, delusionary path he has often chosen in the past.
Charles Marowitz in a fine writer and a fine critic. Now, perhaps, he will be able to devote himself to those pursuits to which he is so abundantly suited.
Jacqueline Bridgeman