I’m posting this on my website because I’m not a fan of the pervasive toxicity that engulfs social media but also because I want it known that this message is coming from me, Jacob Yeh, the actor who was in American Stage’s production of Lloyd Suh’s “The Chinese Lady” (an AEA union production) that was directed by Greg Stresser-Keng and starred Che’Li and that ran from January 31-February 25, 2024.

Everything I’ve written here are verifiable facts and I wrote this post completely on my own with no other person’s knowledge or editing.

Full disclosure:

• I am and have been friends with Helen Murray, the current artistic director at American Stage (St. Petersburg, FL) and former artistic director at The Hub Theatre in Fairfax, VA where we collaborated on two previous productions. I’ve known Helen for over 14 years and her signature is on the contract that I signed for “The Chinese Lady” here in St. Petersburg.
• I am friends and friends and collaborators with Greg; this is our 3rd straight collaboration in a row and 4th overall over the span of 6 years, including the very first time he directed a professional show.
• I am friends and shared the stage with Che’Li and our work together was undeniably beautiful. I did only meet Che’Li for the first time during our Zoom chemistry audition in the latter half of last year but that’s because they are young and I am…not. For the the past 7 weeks we have shared a house, a car, many meals, many hours of rehearsal (it is a 2-person show), many conversations and the stage together; I’ve enjoyed meeting their numerous supportive friends and family who came to see the show and during all that time, I don’t think there was ever a harsh word spoken between us.

The point I’m trying to make in all of this: I’m old and I have (or at least had) at least 3 friends. But also, that I know all the people involved and there are some narratives going around that are making this unfortunate series of events seem like it’s about “Free Palestine!” and whether artists should face repercussions over free speech or what they wear, when it’s just simply not.

I must confess and clearly state my ignorance on the issues in the Middle East; you could fill the ocean with the stuff that I don’t know about the topic and while I’m trying to become more informed, I’m in no position to make any comment about Israel and/or Palestine.

Every artist (or really every person) who agrees to do a job signs a contract which stipulate the rules of what we are contracted to do, what benefits we gain, what we have freedom to do, and what is not allowed by both the employee and the employer. Quite simply, if we violate the terms of the contract, there are repercussions including (but not limited to) being let go and even not getting paid. There are also protections for us built-in, so if we have to leave for a medical reason or if the situation becomes unsafe, we still also get paid. Also, the union, Actor’s Equity (AEA), is there to make sure that actors are protected from harm.

Part of the agreement is also that all the artists involved (director, actor, designer, stage manager) adhere to the playwright’s script. Artists are, of course, not just given the freedom to interpret the script in performing their task of helping to tell the story, they MUST do so. They MUST bring their own unique creativity, experiences, passions to this collaborative effort to bring the story to life every performance. This is not an assembly line; every production and every performance is unique. However, once decisions have been made about costumes, make-up, blocking, sets, lights, projections, etc., we are quite simply not allowed to intentionally change it. Every performance is going to be unique because of the changing audiences, what’s going on in the world, what’s going on in our lives, etc. but we have a duty to the production not to intentionally change things and to tell the story that was created at opening night.

Once a production is “frozen” and the director leaves, oversight for the production falls to the stage manager and at that point any changes to any design element must be agreed upon by the producer (probably in collaboration with the director and any pertinent designer, possibly even the playwright). If there is a request, there is a discussion and some back and forth because this is a collaborative art, not the ownership of any single person. You may feel in your bones that the playwright or the character would TOTALLY approve of this, but unless you get permission BEFOREHAND from the producer (who is representing the interests of the production and the playwright), you simply cannot change it.

In the costume designs for Afong Moy (and even by opening night) for this production, there was no keffiyeh, no writing of “Free Palestine!” on any body part. It was, quite plainly, not a part of this production. I get that there are things going on in the world that affect us, sometimes deeply, but we have a professional duty to know what our job is and to do it. Does it sometimes feel silly that we are playing pretend and dress-up while things, terrible atrocities, are going on in the world? Sure. But we either have to do our job as is stipulated in our contract, or we decide to do something else or something extra but then we have to realize that there will be consequences.

On this past Wednesday, February 21, 2024, our director, Greg (who is no longer in St. Petersburg, and officially not on contract anymore), contacted me and told me of the plan (initiated by Che’Li and agreed upon by Greg and the costume designer) to have Afong Moy in a keffiyeh and with “Free Palestine!” written on their upper chest during the last scene of the show. I thought it was generous to let me know, but as my character is not involved in the putting on or taking off of any of the garments and only onstage at the very end before bows, I informed him that it was and is not my business one way or the other. I had assumed that if they let ME know, they would have let, at the very least, stage management know (since the stage manager is tasked with keeping the integrity of the show). I did not find out until AFTER the show that this was not the case and when I asked Che’Li why they didn’t tell stage management, they simply stated their belief that they would have been prevented from doing so.

I have to say at this point that it’s clear that Greg and Che’Li wanted to change an aspect of the show and then went ahead with that change without any prior consent from the required parties (of which, I might I add, I AM NOT ONE). I might add that from knowing the both of them, conversations with them and reading things they’ve posted on social media, that they are unapologetic, that they feel like this is a worthy cause, this is the “good trouble” that they have to get into. And I applaud them for that level of conviction.

But it is a clear violation of the terms of their contract. And let me be clear here: it’s not the message itself. It could be ANY message, from things with which I agree (“stop asian hate”), things that are cute (“free puppies!”), things that I find funny (“free colonoscopies!”) or distasteful (“make america great again”) or both (“free harvey weinstein!”). It’s simply not the time or place to do that because that’s not the production we collectively created. Certainly, if that decision had been made DURING the creation of the production, then the statement becomes part of the art itself and of course, plays and playwrights have used art to make statements, political or otherwise. But this is a different matter.

And before anyone claims that this is just the excuse that the theatre (a predominantly white organization) or artistic director (a white woman with clear associations with the Jewish community) is using to silence an actor making a stand in their support for a “free palestine!” or wearing a keffiyeh, let me provide some evidence that points to the contrary.

Here’s a picture of Che’Li’s printed bio from the official American Stage program for “The Chinese Lady”. You’ll notice the last line has “Free Palestine!” there for everyone to see and it’s permanent. It’s not just online where things can be changed; it’s in there, in print for everyone to see and if it ever gets put into a time capsule, it will remain. Clearly, American Stage’s final decision was to support Che’Li in their stance and the statement they wanted to make. The statement of “Free Palestine!” was not what got Che’Li removed from the show; it was the time and place and the manner in which this change to a show that was already set (WHICH AGAIN IS NOT ALLOWED BY UNION AND CONTRACT RULES) was made.

Here’s also a screen shot of a picture from American Stage’s website, promoting the show. In it, you see Che’Li wearing a keffiyeh during first rehearsal. American Stage has full autonomy over what images they use to promote the show; clearly they were not fearful or against Che’Li wearing one. You’ll see it in almost all the interviews (print & TV) that we conducted, all of which American Stage used to promote the show on their social media and website. To say that American Stage was offended by the keffiyeh and didn’t want to be associated with Che’Li in a keffiyeh and fired them for that just doesn’t seem to hold any water. If I came on wearing a mankini I would be in danger of being fired and it has nothing to do with any statement (but we can ALL agree that’s distasteful and no one should ever see that).

You’ll notice that AEA offered no resistance to the decision to let them go and did not make a stink about it anywhere or rush to any actor’s defense and that’s because they too know that it is a breach of contract and there no legal standing for any recourse. It’s simply a violation of the terms of the contract and they abide by the decision.

Let me also say that I know from talking to Che’Li that even though they were not allowed to perform the show anymore, they were paid for their full time on the contract, even for those shows they did not perform. Had none of this happened and we closed this afternoon with the full original cast that was intended, Che’Li would not have been paid a penny more than what they were paid in this reality. They did not suffer financially from this decision. And American Stage was very polite in their statement, sticking to the facts and not slandering anyone or even mentioning anyone by name.

You have the freedom of speech. But you don’t have right to be employed by a theatre company, or the right to perform something on their stage. That’s an agreement you come to with them and if you violate the terms of that agreement and you are asked to leave and you should do so, quietly and respectfully.

If you want to get into “good trouble”, great. “Wearing a keffiyeh and saying ‘free palestine!’ whenever I deem appropriate is a stand I’m willing to take, even if it means breaking my contract, because it means that much to me.” Own it. MLK Jr. did. Greta Thunberg does. They felt so strongly about something that they were willing to break the rules AND endure the consequences. But don’t throw people under the bus while you are doing so, making excuses, slandering other people. Don’t misrepresent the situation, leaving out details that make you look better or bring more eyeballs to your cause but harm other people. Stand up. Be honest. Don’t conflate a company that supported you in making your statement to “free palestine!” and the freedom to wear whatever you want in your own life but rightfully let you go (while still paying you your full contract) when you broke the terms of your agreement with one that fired you because they are supposedly “anti-palestinian”. It’s hurtful, it’s harmful, it’s gross and it doesn’t actually help your cause.

Recognize the consequences for these actions and be ready to endure them. You can’t cry foul or act surprised when you breach a contract and you get let go. Be more informed. Learn.

And one may say the rules are unjust. How exactly would a theatre run if actors, directors or designers were just allowed to make unilateral decisions without talking to the producer or playwright beforehand? A theatre might agree with your current political stance, but what if you change your mind? A playwright puts their name on the play because it is his words at the moment he wrote them. If you are just allowed to change things because it is your truth, no playwright would ever consent to that.

Lastly, I just want to say how sad I am that I was not able to finish with the original show we created. We close this afternoon and these performances with Mona Lim (who has been nothing short of a consummate professional) have been wonderful and beautiful in their own way, but this was not how it was supposed to go. It was good. We did good work. Maybe it was always going to end this way. Regardless, I will never be ashamed of this production but I will always be sad that it ended this way.

I never wanted to have to post this, but I felt like I had to because of the baseless accusations and threats being hurled around on the internet and I stand by every word of this post..