Bad blood between the Theatre North West Society and its former artistic director and general manager has spilled into the courts.
Ted Price and Anne Laughlin have launched a lawsuit against TNW's board of directors and an artistic producer it subsequently hired to replace them.
They are alleging Samantha MacDonald made defamatory statements against the two and that the board failed to give them the opportunity to respond, according to a notice of civil claim filed in early December in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
McDonald was hired in Sept. 15, 2010 as TWN's artistic producer as part of a succession plan that saw Price and Laughlin resign their posts in early 2011 to pursue freelance theatre work.
However, by mid 2011, TNW had retained Price and Laughlin on a consultative basis to "provide mentorship and facilitate an orderly transition of responsibilities" to MacDonald for the 2011-12 theatre season.
In early December 2013, MacDonald submitted a notice of resignation.
The board asked her to reconsider and a meeting with MacDonald was subsequently held later the same month.
The notice says notes from the meeting show MacDonald made statements to the board that left the impression Price and Laughlin were unethical and had bullied and harassed her and TNW employees, intentionally attempted to sabotage her and were attempting to continue to control TNW affairs.
The impression created was "false, malicious and defamatory," the notice continues to say and further claims that "despite the nature of the statements," the board did not give Price and Laughlin an opportunity to respond.
"Instead, the board "accepted the allegations without questioning their validity," the notice says.
Prior to MacDonald's alleged statements, Price and Laughlin had been receiving contracts to provide services to TNW but that practice ceased afterwards, "thereby eliminating a source of income they had come to rely on."
Price and Laughlin are seeking damages from MacDonald and TNW.
The allegations have not yet been tested in court and the defendants have not yet filed responses.
