http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&...122&blogID=431113764quote:
THIS IS WHY WE, THE PORCELAIN TWINZ, LEFT THE BOX
The inhumane treatment of the artists and employees at the Box is appalling. The barrage of mental and emotional abuses that the employees have to endure on a nightly basis is dangerously unhealthy. On the week of July 15-16, the entire tech staff, which runs the theater, had finally had enough, they all banded together, and put in their two week notice all at once, because they couldn't take the inhumane treatment and conditions of Simon Hammerstein and Richard Kimmel any longer. There are also the issues of long abusive rehearsal hours and inhumane conditions of the green room next door where the performers and staff are forced to co-exist in on a nightly basis.
The green room is almost comparable to that of a garbage dump, where rats, roaches, and even maggots inside of dark lockers thrive, despite the numerous request to have a cleaner green room with no smoking, it has only worsened. There was an incident when Simon Hammerstein left his black lab dog named, Shadow/Shady, in the green room for days, and the dog defecated all over the green room because it was not properly cared for. It was disgusting, how neglected the dog was, and how it had no other choice but to go to the bathroom in the green room. Simon tried to blame the feces in the green room on the performers, saying that one of the performers defecated in the green room. We personally witnessed the dog feces with our own eyes, and the numerous piles of feces throughout the green room that permeated the room with it's foul odor which made it obvious that this was dog feces not human feces, and none of the performers would ever do this. We were all very insulted. We wrote a detailed email to Robyn, the office manager at the time, about how ridiculous the accusations were that the feces were that of a performer. She agreed and commented that she knew it was from the dog, and not to worry. The situation with the dog was so extreme, that a pair of performers who were seriously concerned for the dogs well being, stole the dog, because they were so upset over it's inhumane treatment. However, they were forced to bring the dog back or Simon was going to call the police and press charges. We had also heard a rumor that week, that Simon was going to have the dog put to sleep. One of the staff offered to take it to a farm that his family had, so the dog would not be killed. We do not know what really happened to the dog.
The green room is littered with garbage everywhere, props are piled sky high, the floor is so filthy floor that we won't dare touch it with our bare feet when changing into our beautiful costumes. Just the other night one of the performers was telling us that she had to sweep up glass on the floor so that she could change. The air quality is toxic due to poor ventilation and allowed cigarette smoke, that can make it impossible to breathe. The things that go on in the club are just as appalling. Hired staff prostitutes, in house drug dealing, open drug use throughout the club, open pot smoking and cocaine use, cigarette smoking, etc.
There are a number of abuses that take place on a nightly bases to the performers and tech staff at The Box. Physical abuse, mental abuse, emotional distress, sexual harassment, and drug pushing on performers to name a few. Examples of Simon Hammerstein's behavior are the following: Simon Hammerstein regularly slaps the girls so hard on the buttocks, that it leaves handprint welts for at least two days before leaving a bruise. This has happened to one of us as well as several of the classically trained dancers known as the "Hammerstein Beauties." Simon sexually harasses the employees constantly. We have had many personal experiences of this behavior from Simon Hammerstein.
There are about 800 more paragraphs, but you get the idea...
