Cast Members Resign from Chicago Production Amid Misconduct Allegations Against Director —

by Chris Peterson

Multiple cast members of Invictus Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof have resigned in the midst of rehearsals, citing newly surfaced allegations of abuse involving the show’s director and the company’s artistic director, Charles Askenaizer.

In a letter addressed to the organization’s board of directors, four performers—Andrea Uppling, James Lewis, Christopher Ratliff, and Renae Stone—said they were formally resigning from the production “in solidarity with the revelations of abuse” that they said had come to light in the past week. The letter states that the cast had requested a formal response from the board by Thursday, January 29, “no later than 8am,” and that no response had been issued by that deadline.