by Chris Peterson
Four community theaters in Connecticut — the Naugatuck Teen Theater, Landmark Community Theatre in Thomaston, Warner Theatre in Torrington, and the Thomaston Opera House — have agreed to pay financial settlements to three women who say they were sexually assaulted as teenagers while participating in youth theater programs.
The lawsuits were filed in Waterbury Superior Court. Terms of the settlements are confidential.
“The matter was settled to the mutual satisfaction of the parties,” said Jason Tremont, the attorney representing the women.
The theaters declined to comment.
At the center of the case is Daniel Checovetes, a former director and stage manager at several of these theaters. In March, he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the women when they were teenagers. He was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.
His conviction did not come from a criminal investigation. Police had initially declined to file charges. It was only after the women filed a civil suit that the case was reopened.
“He raped me in the Thomaston Opera House,” one woman said in court at his sentencing hearing.
Another survivor told the judge, “He took my virginity. He was violent, choked and grabbed me and slapped me. I had bruises on my breasts. I thought this was normal and how it was supposed to be. He wanted me to take birth control. I was vulnerable. I was a child.”
In 2009, the women were just 14, 16, and 17 years old. Two of them wanted to perform on stage. The third dreamed of working in lighting design. All three joined the Naugatuck Teen Theater, a community program open to local middle and high school students.
Checovetes met them through those programs and, according to the lawsuit, assaulted them between 2009 and 2016 in theaters, performance spaces, and other locations.
The suit also claims that the theaters had previous knowledge that some of their staff members had been arrested or convicted for child pornography charges, and did not do enough to protect the teens in their programs.
Checovetes had worked in several backstage and technical roles before becoming a director at the Thomaston Opera House, which is run by Landmark Community Theatre. He remained in that position until he was fired in May 2018.
The first official complaint against Checovetes was made to Southington police in 2017. The woman who came forward was told there was not enough evidence to make an arrest. It was not until after the lawsuits were filed that police admitted the case had been mishandled and reopened their investigation.
During a deposition, Checovetes admitted to sexually assaulting two of the women in 2015 and 2016.
“As a practicing attorney for over 30 years who handles sex abuse cases for minor victims,” Tremont said, “it is highly unusual for a perpetrator to admit to having sexual relations with minors. Usually they deny it or plead the Fifth.”
This case is a devastating reminder of how community theater, a space meant to foster confidence, belonging, and creativity, can become a place of harm when systems of protection fail. Youth arts programs must be grounded in trust, transparency, and safety. When adults in positions of authority are not properly screened, supervised, or held accountable, the damage can be lasting.
These settlements may offer some justice to the women who came forward, but they should also serve as a call to action. Any organization working with young artists has a responsibility to create a culture where safety is not just policy, but practice.
