The show must go on: Midsummer continues despite director firing

by Alex Lewis
Associate Editor

On Thursday, February 4, Stamford Public School employee of four years, Andy Knapp, was fired from his position as director of the production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. According to Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools Dr. Starr, Mr. Knapp is no longer allowed to direct the production nor is he allowed on the Westhill campus, a direct response to an email sent out by Mr. Knapp. The email and firing were the latest developments in a back and forth between the Board of Education (BOE), the school, Mr. Knapp, and involved parties.

The events surrounding Mr. Knapp’s firing can be traced back to December, when he served as director, producer, and set designer of the All-School Musical Fiddler on the Roof. While acting as director on the show, Mr. Knapp allegedly made comments to one student concerning another student that were interpreted as inappropriate.

According to Principal Ms. Figluizzi, after being made aware of the alleged incident, the decision to fire Andy was made from the central office at the BOE on January 15. At this point, Mr. Knapp was no longer working on Fiddler, and was in the middle of the A Midsummer Night’s Dream production. According to Ms. Figluizzi, the BOE came to the realization that the production of Midsummer was too far along to find a replacement, so Mr. Knapp was then rehired on January 18 through Dr. Starr to finish out the show. Ms. Figluizzi said, “I think we looked at what was going to benefit the most students, and found ways to be protective of the student involved.”

Ms. Figluizzi also mentioned that at that point, the school did not plan on using Mr. Knapp for any other productions. However, the mother of the student involved, whose name is being withheld, disagreed with the rehiring of Mr. Knapp. She said, “[My daughter] should be able to participate in drama in a comfortable setting. The school system should make sure that the school is a safe place.”

On February 3, according to an email sent out by Mr. Knapp to students involved in drama productions, their parents, administrators, and BOE officials, the Superintendent informed Mr. Knapp that following the conclusion of Midsummer, Mr. Knapp would not be allowed to work on another Stamford Public School production. In the email, Mr. Knapp admitted to making comments, not citing specifics, and stated that although he had apologized to the student, he did not feel the apology was deserved. Mr. Knapp also stated that he felt his firing was unjustified, but that he would finish Midsummer to preserve his integrity as a director.

On February 4, Mr. Knapp sent an email to a group of students and parents announcing that he had been fired, removed from the production of Midsummer, and would no longer be allowed on the campus of any Stamford Public School. Following this announcement, Dr. Starr met with the students involved with Midsummer before their afternoon rehearsal. Along with Ms. Figluizzi, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Hamilton, and Ninth Grade Administrator Ms. Arase, Dr. Starr explained the reasons behind Mr. Knapp’s firing.

Dr. Starr said, “I agree one hundred percent that this is unfair. When I was originally made aware of the situation, it did not have to be this way. I made accommodations for Midsummerto continue, but based on the email, I am unable to do so going forward.” He continued to say, “I am left with no choice but to suspend interaction by Mr. Knapp with anyone in the Stamford Public Schools immediately. While it may be tough, my responsibility is to ensure we protect the safety and well-being of each and every student in this school system.”

Dr. Starr’s comments were not met well by many of the students in the room, some of whom began arguing with Starr and crying.

The same evening, Dr. Starr held a meeting in the small auditorium for parents who wished to better understand the situation. Approximately 100 adults and students attended the event. The atmosphere in the room was tense as Dr. Starr proceeded to explain the situations surrounding Mr. Knapp’s removal. Dr. Starr said, “Directives were given to Mr. Knapp by Dr. Hamilton, and follows of these directives could have ended the situation. Either he misunderstood or didn’t follow through with these directives, because this didn’t happen the way we wanted it to happen.”  He continued, “We could have immediately removed Mr. Knapp, but we decided to let the production go forward and directives were put in place, so all seemed well and good.”

Dr. Starr said, “There is one victim. The victim is a student. And it is my responsibility when someone is victimized to ensure that all steps are taken to minimize the possibility that this ever happens again.”

When Dr. Starr opened the forum up to questions from the parents, many parents aggressively questioned Starr’s decision. At one point, when Dr. Starr made the claim that he wanted to protect the drama program, one parent argued, “Andy Knapp was the drama program!” followed by a round of applause.

Midway through the meeting, one parent asked if the original situation where Mr. Knapp made the comments could be further explained, as he didn’t understand how Mr. Knapp had “harmed” the children. Immediately following the question, the father of the student involved stood up, and began loudly defending his daughter. After the father was escorted out by Ms. Figluizzi, the mother of the student stood up, and gave a speech while crying. She said, “If this was your daughter who was victimized, you would not be supporting [Andy Knapp].”

The meeting was cut short, as Dr. Starr had to attend a budget meeting. However, Dr. Starr agreed to requests by the parents’ to schedule a longer meeting concerning the subject, tentatively to be held the week after February recess.

Performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will still be held on Friday, February 5 and Saturday, February 6. The shows will be directed by Art Department Head Mr. Vollano. Mr. Knapp will not be allowed to attend any of the performances, despite requests by the students involved.

Mr. Knapp did not respond to requests to comment.