PLEASE BE ADVISED that co-founder and artistic director John Clark Donahue, as well as a number of staff and/or school faculty members of the theatre (actor/instructor Jason McLean, for one) have been convicted and/or charged with criminal and/or civil crimes of sexual abuse of minors. In winter of 2019, in civil court, the Children's Theatre Company was also found guilty of negligence in these matters which occurred during the time period of the 1970s and 1980s (and probably earlier). Consequently, please be aware that the images and links within this blog include the contributions and participation of certain minors who were victims/survivors/witnesses of sexual and emotional abuse and residual trauma, as well as certain adult perpetrators, enablers, and/or former victims
"The Children's Theater of John Donahue"
In winter of 1971, CTC was honored to host acclaimed documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker who had previously filmed Don't Look Back with Bob Dylan on his 1965 music tour of England, Monterey Pop (1968) featuring music legends Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, The Mamas and the Papas, Jefferson Airplane, Otis Redding, Ravi Shankar and others, Original Cast Album - Company documenting the original cast of the Stephen Sondheim musical, and several other noteworthy films. Pennebaker spent time with CTC and captured moments backstage and in performance, as well as documenting activity with the administration, school, and production shops.
Various excerpts have been pulled from the documentary to illustrate specific productions in this blog.
Click on the links below and you may view the film in its entirety, unedited, as the artist intended.
https://youtu.be/INRPOZhl9MU
https://youtu.be/IAdoR5xy5Vo
https://youtu.be/9V38BLed2bY
https://youtu.be/KgcoflPOHJo
