By ANDY GRAY

Staff writer

One of the women who shared her claims of sexual assault as a teenager while appearing in area theater productions is encouraged by the response she’s seen in the last 10 days.

Selena Phillips, 20, a Youngstown native now living in Pittsburgh, shared her experiences in a series of YouTube videos posted earlier this month and later with this newspaper. Her statements led to several other women speaking out publicly, alleging everything from unwanted groping to statutory rape while appearing in shows.

On Monday, Youngstown Playhouse board President John Cox delivered a seven-minute live statement on Facebook outlining how the theater would handle such allegations in the future.

“Make no mistake, the Youngstown Playhouse will uphold a zero-tolerance policy for sexual violence and misconduct … It is now time for survivors to feel ready to step out of the darkness and tell their stories with a strong support system for them,” Cox said.

Phillips, the only one of the four women who spoke to the newspaper whose story included alleged incidents at the Playhouse, said: “I’m pretty impressed with how they’re handling this … It’s exciting to see. I feel they’re making progress, taking steps in the right direction. Even though I didn’t have the same protections, I’m happy to see young men and women will have some protection in the future.”

In his statement, Cox said anyone who is accused of sexual violence or misconduct will be banned from the premises in any capacity until cleared by local law enforcement. Those in positions of power at the theater who fail to take action will face repercussions, ranging from “training seminars to termination, if that is indicated.”

The Playhouse’s new guidelines will be inspired by the Chicago Theatre Standards Project, a 33-page document produced in 2017 after similar problems were reported in that city’s theater community.

Also announced since the women went public is Lights On: Community Theatre Public Task Force, a volunteer organization that is working with COMPASS Family and Community Services to provide counseling services for survivors and develop an educational program for theaters to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“I’ve seen the board and all of them are people I know well and I trust,” Phillips said of Lights On. “It’s a very diverse board. Emelia (Sherin, one of its organizers) is taking a lot of action and we’ve been in constant contact, and I really appreciate the chance to try to add my voice to it and incite this change.”

Phillips said many people have reached out to her in support since she went public, though some who previously were friends have blocked her on social media.

“That was incredibly hurtful, to say the least, especially women who at the time this happened reached out to me and said it was wrong,” she said.

Last week Youngstown attorney Kim Akins said she had been in contact with the prosecutor’s office about possible charges against the men named in the allegations by Phillips and others.

On Tuesday Phillips said: “We’re moving forward, and I do expect to see justice come out of this.”

agray@tribtoday.com