"The Court Watson Story Part One"

Summary

Stage Combat The Podcast: "The Court Watson Story Part One"

Release Date: February 10, 2025
Host: Sean Hayden
Produced by: Haywood Productions, LLC

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Introduction and Content Warning (00:00 - 00:43)

The episode opens with Sean Hayden issuing a content warning regarding the sensitive topics of sexual harassment and assault discussed in Court Watson's story. He advises listeners to proceed with caution and refers them to the show notes for supportive resources. Additionally, Hayden mentions that William Ivy Long and the Roanoke Island Historical Association have previously denied the allegations made by Court Watson, setting the stage for a contentious narrative.

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Listener Interaction and Introduction to Court Watson (00:43 - 04:29)

Adam Stocker, a 29-year-old listener from New York City's costume industry, shares his experience recalling a 2020 story about Court Watson and William Ivy Long. Stocker highlights a common issue where victims' names are often overshadowed by those of alleged perpetrators. This episode aims to rectify that by delving deeper into Watson's personal account, promising a thorough exploration of his experiences.

Sean Hayden introduces the premise of Season 3, focusing on listeners' stories about confronting mistreatment in their workplaces. He emphasizes the significance of giving victims a platform to share their truths.

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Background: The Lost Colony and William Ivy Long’s Reputation (04:29 - 05:50)

A narrated segment provides historical context about Roanoke Island and the Lost Colony amphitheater production established in 1937. The narrative shifts to the year 2000, highlighting William Ivy Long, a celebrated Broadway costume designer renowned for his work on productions like Chicago the Musical and Cabaret. Long's prominence in the industry is underscored by his Tony Awards and his long-term association with the Lost Colony, setting him up as a respected yet influential figure within the theater community.

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Court Watson’s Early Experiences at the Lost Colony (05:50 - 08:59)

Court Watson, a childhood resident of Chesapeake, Virginia, shares his initial exposure to the Lost Colony through frequent visits despite financial constraints. His early fascination with theater led him to pursue set design at Virginia Commonwealth University, later gaining costume design experience through summer stock productions.

During his first summer in 2000 as a wardrobe stitcher, Watson describes the responsibilities of maintaining costumes and assisting in dressing actors. He notes that technicians portraying Algonkian Native Americans were Caucasian, painted with terracotta red paint—a reflection of the outdated and insensitive practices of the time.

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First Encounters with William Ivy Long (08:59 - 11:17)

Watson recounts his initial meetings with William Ivy Long, characterized by Long’s authoritative and somewhat intimidating presence. Long’s arrival at the costume shop is likened to the character Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, exuding a mix of charisma and command. During these interactions, Long questions Watson’s age, mistakenly identifying him as a 15-year-old, which adds a layer of complexity to their early relationship.

The podcast transitions to discuss an unsettling meeting where Long dismisses allegations of sexual harassment, asserting, “there is no such thing as sexual harassment in the American theater,” and equating the industry to “pimps and whores” (11:16). This statement silences the staff and highlights the toxic environment fostered by Long’s authority.

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Promotion and Increased Interaction (11:17 - 14:32)

Despite the prior unsettling experience, Watson is unexpectedly promoted to wardrobe supervisor in the summer of 2001 after Long expresses approval of his work (12:03). This promotion brings increased interaction with Long, including educational presentations and exclusive invitations to lavish parties at Long’s homes in Seaboard, North Carolina. The parties are described as opulent gatherings attended by local and state politicians, with abundant alcohol served in vintage sterling silver mint julep cups (14:17).

At 19:04, Watson reflects on the cultural and personal significance of Long’s mentorship, especially within the queer community, underscoring the betrayal he felt when Long misused that relationship.

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The Incident: Unfolding of Coercion and Assault (14:32 - 26:33)

Court Watson narrates a pivotal and traumatic event during his third summer in 2001. After attending a party at Norma Mills' home, Watson has a consensual encounter with one of Long’s studio associates. However, the next morning, Long confronts Watson with a detailed account of the previous night's events, including explicit descriptions of their intimate interaction (16:21). This public exposure in front of approximately 15 guests creates an atmosphere of shame and isolation for Watson.

Watson discusses the immediate aftermath, feeling numb, isolated, and ostracized, believing he had erred in some way despite being a victim of misconduct (25:22). The loss of support and recognition from Long and the Lost Colony management exacerbates his sense of betrayal and confusion about the shift in his social standing.

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Long-Term Impact and Lingering Trauma (26:33 - 30:31)

Returning for a final summer in 2003 to save money for graduate school, Watson tries to distance himself from Long. However, an encounter at Tricorn Costumes in New York City reignites his trauma. Long's unexpected and insincere greeting—“don't you look marvelous. You've gone through puberty”—triggers Watson’s freeze response, illustrating the deep psychological scars left by their previous interactions (30:27). Watson’s colleague, Michael Zecker, notices his distress, prompting Watson to take the rest of the day off, highlighting the lingering effects of the trauma.

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Broader Context and Future Implications (30:31 - 33:23)

As years pass, Long continues to achieve acclaim, becoming the chairman of the American Theatre Wing and receiving more Tony Awards. The #MeToo movement's rise in 2017 brings similar allegations against Long to the forefront, paralleling the widespread accountability seen with figures like Harvey Weinstein.

In 2018, BuzzFeed publishes an article discussing ongoing harassment within Broadway, featuring Michael Martin instead of Watson, indicating the continued suppression of victims' voices (32:17). Shortly after, Watson receives a distressing call from the former executive director of the Roanoke Island Historical Association, warning him against speaking out as a damaging article is imminent (32:56). Watson perceives this as emotional blackmail, reinforcing the systemic silencing of victims within the industry (33:28).

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Key Quotes and Attributions

• Court Watson (11:16): "There is no such thing as sexual harassment in the American theater. We're all pimps and whores."

• Court Watson (15:17): "When I started being paid attention to by one of his studio assistants, I felt like I was being seen as an adult for the first time by another gay person."

• Court Watson (22:00): "He exposed himself to me. He undid his fly and pulled out his genitals."

• Court Watson (24:53): "I wouldn't have been able to continue my employment there. I wouldn't have been able to make the money I needed to pay my rent."

• Court Watson (33:28): "A veiled threat? Emotional blackmail? Yeah, 100%."

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Conclusion

"The Court Watson Story Part One" is a harrowing account of systemic abuse and the silencing of victims within the theater industry. Through detailed personal narratives and corroborating voices, the episode sheds light on the pervasive toxicity wielded by powerful figures like William Ivy Long. Watson's story not only highlights the individual trauma experienced but also underscores the broader cultural and institutional challenges faced by those who dare to speak out against misconduct. As Season 3 progresses, listeners are poised to gain deeper insights into the complexities of standing up against entrenched abuse and the ongoing quest for justice and validation within the creative community.

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Stay Tuned for Episode 17: "The Court Watson Story Part Two"

Edited by Alex Griffith
Mixing and Sound Design by Justin Gerrish

For feedback, contact us via Instagram at @stagecombatthepodcast or email us at stagecombatthepodcastmail.com.

Disclaimer: The content in this episode is not medical or legal advice. Please consult with a medical professional or attorney for assistance.

Transcript

[Sean Hayden]

The Cord Watson story contains content of allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Please proceed with caution if those topics are potentially triggering for you. You can also check the show Notes for resources for help for anyone who has experienced a sexual assault. The attorneys for William Ivy Long and the Roanoke Island Historical association have previously denied the allegations made in this episode by Court Watson.

[Adam Stocker]

A statement provided by the attorney for William Ivy Long will be shared at the conclusion of episode 17, the Court Watson story, part two.

[Cort Watson]

So it was a big deal right before the pandemic and then during the pandemic, a lot happened between William Ivy Long and Cor and some sort of like in terms of news coming out and being way more public, I'm in.

[Adam Stocker]

Conversation with Adam Stocker. This is about a year ago. Adam is a 29 year old listener of the podcast who works in the costume industry in New York City. And while Adam and I were recording a listener segment for our social media for the podcast, Adam shared with me his reaction to a story he recalls for 2020. It was about costumer Court Watson and the Tony Award winning Broadway costume designer William Ivy Long.

[Cort Watson]

I do know I shared either a post about Court and William Ivy Long or just the article that came out about the two of them. And my boss came up to me that week and was like, you cannot share things like that because he's friends with William Ivy Long. Right.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Was that indicative in any way of the Broadway costume community, of what you could and what you couldn't say?

[Cort Watson]

Yeah, yeah. Because costume community is so small, you can only say so much without people really kind of shunning you for talking about the issues that you face on a regular basis or the people that cause those issues because they are big names. But as a queer person, we don't have like, especially gay men, let's say. We don't have a lot of people older than us because we lost so many to the AIDS epidemic. And so when you find someone who is maybe your boss or a mentor, someone who's mentoring you in your field of study, it's such a treasure trove of history and companionship and knowledge. And when that person abuses the situation to take like a sparkling young queer person and turn them inside out, it is like it just puts the shitty icing on the cake of everything else that could go wrong. And so when you read Kourt's story as a queer person, it's more than just sexual assault in the workplace. It's also a violation of a really special connection that two queer people who are on different Ends of generations, the kind of connection they can have.

[Sean Hayden]

I'm Sean Hayden, and you're listening to episode 16 of season three of stage, the podcast the Court Watson Story, part one.

[Adam Stocker]

So my conversation with Adam was my first introduction to the Court Watson story. While I do Remember hearing in 2020 Allegations about sexual misconduct involving William Ivy Long, I never heard Court Watson's name. That happens a lot, doesn't it? We remember the alleged perpetrator, but the actual victim becomes lost somewhere. This episode is an opportunity to change that and to get to the bottom of the story. We've got to go back to 1587.

[Unnamed Narrator]

That's when 117 English settlers were arrived on a small isolated island off the coast of North Carolina to establish the first English settlement, only to mysteriously disappear years later. That island would become Roanoke island. Cut to 1937, when the Roanoke Island Historical association creates an outdoor amphitheater production on the very site of that settlement and calls it the Lost Colony. The Lost Colony would become the grandfather of those big outdoor summer dramas with its cast and crew of 120 people, giving its audiences a pageantry spectacle full of elaborate costumes. The summer of 2000, celebrated Broadway costume designer William Ivy Long has just received a Tony nomination for the music man. He's 52 years old and he already has two Tony Awards on his shelf.

[Cort Watson]

And the Tony Award goes to William Ivy Long.

[Unnamed Narrator]

Long has become iconic for his sultry costumes for Chicago the Musical and the deconstructed designs for the revival of Cabaret.

[Adam Stocker]

Which starred Alan Cumming.

[Unnamed Narrator]

But William Ivy Long has also been the longtime costume designer for the Lost Colony. And as in past seasons of the Lost Colony, during that summer of 2000, dozens of college students arrive on Roanoke island to work on the production. One of Those students is 18 year old court Watson.

[Cort Watson]

I grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia, and as a kid, we didn't go on vacations that were further than a gas tank away from the house. So we went to the Outer Banks and we saw the Lost Colony many times when I was very small. And we would drive back that night because we couldn't afford a hotel in the Outer Banks. And I literally grew up seeing that show.

[Adam Stocker]

And yes, that's Cort Watson Speaking with us 24 years after first reporting for.

[Unnamed Narrator]

Work at the Lost Colony.

[Cort Watson]

I started as a child actor. By the time I was about 15 or 16, kind of early puberty with voice changes, I knew I was a little too uncomfortable to put myself on the stage, but I was really captured by the empathetic power of connecting with Other people that performance gives us. I remember doing a production of the Music man in Virginia beach and nearly getting run over when the train exit stage left at the top of the show. I nearly got ran over because I was so transfixed by the idea that the audience was seeing a train chugging off stage. And I was watching the backstage version of it all and knowing that it was all artificial and realizing that there's this contract that the audience has agreed to, at least for those two and a half hours, to believe that reality.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Did that fascination with backstage, did that lead to your interest in costuming?

[Cort Watson]

It did. And when I was in undergrad at Virginia Commonwealth University, I wasn't able to double major. And I was always interested in scenery and costumes. So I majored in set design in school and then got my costume design education in the summers doing summer stock.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Court's official job with the Lost Colony that summer was as a wardrobe stitcher.

[Cort Watson]

I'd get the costumes to the laundry facility after every performance, maintain costumes in the show, clean up the makeup room, I'd even clean the toilets. And then in the evening we'd dress the show.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Dressing the actors.

[Cort Watson]

Dressing the actors, yeah. And my first summer there, I dressed the male dancers and the dance ensemble in the show separate from the actor. Technicians were responsible for performing the role of Algonkian Native Americans.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And were they Native Americans?

[Cort Watson]

No, they were as Caucasian as I am. And we would paint them with a kind of terracotta colored red paint.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So this is a production that actually red painted the actors? Uh huh.

[Cort Watson]

Going back to the 30s, people did that.

[Unnamed Narrator]

It was during that summer of 2000 that Cort first encountered William Ivy Long at the Lost Colony.

[Cort Watson]

Shortly after he would have arrived on the island, he would have come directly to the costume shop. And the parking facility for staff was at an administrative building, probably a good brisk 10 minute walk away from the costume shop. And so he would check in there and someone would call us and say that he was on the way. There was this titter of activity anytime he would be on the island or approach the costume shop. So everyone was very busy and very active on something.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Why does this sound like Miranda Priestly in the Devil Wears Prada?

[Cort Watson]

Yep, very much that. And I remember when I saw the Devil Wears Prada, I was like, I know this. I know this sense of anxiety and anticipation of this person being around as he was making his way through the costume shop, introducing himself to everyone there. I introduced myself and he asked me how old I was. And I said, I really don't Remember if it was just before I had turned 19 or just after. But I told him and he shook his head and he said, no, you're a 15 year old boy. And there was this kind of elan of being whimsical and being slightly naughty. And I think that was celebrated. That was an affectation that seemed to thrill people.

[Unnamed Narrator]

Cord recalls his second encounter with Mr. Long that summer happened when the entire costume shop staff was summoned into the office of the executive director of the Lost Colony.

[Cort Watson]

One of the members of the costume shop staff had been experiencing unwanted sexual overtures that made him very uncomfortable.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

By whom?

[Cort Watson]

By one of Long's associates.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And then what happened in the meeting?

[Cort Watson]

We were called into the executive director's office and Mr. Long said to us, there is no such thing as sexual harassment in the American theater. And he went on to say that no jury would ever convict someone of sexual harassment who worked in the theater because we're all pimps and whores.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

He said that.

[Cort Watson]

He said that.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

What was everyone's reaction when this was said?

[Cort Watson]

We were shocked into silence. And the shop staff person who had been experiencing the unwanted sexual overtures and attention was shaking with fear and rage. And that was his last summer at the Lost Colony.

[Unnamed Narrator]

The next summer, the summer of 2001, William Ivy Long wins the Tony Award for best Costume design for the Producers. And Cort returns to work at the Lost Colony.

[Cort Watson]

I was promoted from the wardrobe stitcher position to becoming the wardrobe supervisor.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And what did you do to get the promotion? Did you have to apply for it? Was there a process? How did that all come to be?

[Cort Watson]

No, I didn't apply for it. It was offered to me by Carl Cranute, who had been the man who had interviewed me for the job the first summer. And he let me know that Mr. Long had been impressed with the work that I had done the previous summer and that he had been instrumental in making sure that I was getting that promotion.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Did you find it strange that you were suddenly promoted?

[Cort Watson]

I did find it strange. I was shocked that I was on his radar at all. I was a college sophomore all of a sudden responsible for maintaining hundreds and hundreds of costumes bigger than a Broadway show.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And so what is your social interaction like with Mr. Long during this second summer?

[Cort Watson]

He definitely got more friendly and more personable. There were more opportunities to chat, there were more opportunities to talk about design. And he came down and did a huge presentation for us about what costume design is, including dresses from his Tony Award winning Crazy for you on dress form. So you could really see what the level of construction was. And none of that happened in the first summer that I was there. That all really started in the second summer that I was there.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And did Mr. Long invite you out to social outings or to his home or what was that interaction like?

[Cort Watson]

I started being invited, along with other senior costume shop staff, to go to elaborate party weekends at one of his homes in Seaboard, North Carolina.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And what were the parties like?

[Cort Watson]

Oh, they were lavish. Far more lavish than any parties I had ever attended as a college student. There could be a hundred people there. If it was his 4th of July party or his Virginia Dare Day party, there could be upwards of 250 people. It would be a mix of local and state politicians, the mayor, state senators. He was treated like royalty on the island. Local boy done good. It wasn't just that he was a Tony Award winning designer. He had a lifelong association with the lost colony that went back to his childhood when his mother and father had both worked at the theater.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And would alcohol be served at these parties?

[Cort Watson]

Oh, sure. And I don't ever remember him drinking. I have no memory of ever seeing him drink alcohol whatsoever. But he had a collection of vintage sterling silver mint julep cups and would gladly make anyone a mint julep who wanted it.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And during the second summer, you would have been 19 going on 20.

[Cort Watson]

Correct.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So under the legal age for drinking.

[Cort Watson]

That's correct.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And were you served alcohol?

[Cort Watson]

Oh, absolutely. I don't think I'd ever had a mint julep until at one of his homes.

[Unnamed Narrator]

One night after a party in Mr. Long's home in Seaboard, North Carolina. Cord says he had a consensual sexual experience with one of Mr. Long's New York studio associates in an upstairs bedroom.

[Cort Watson]

When I started being paid attention to by one of his studio assistants, I felt like I was being seen as an adult for the first time by another gay person.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

How close in age were the two of you?

[Cort Watson]

He probably was about 10 years older than me, but I wouldn't have known that at the time because he also presented younger than he looked in the same way that I did as well. I thought he was a few years older than me. We had a beautiful, romantic evening together. And what I didn't know until the next morning was that he was keeping notes on what we were doing so that he could report it all to him the next morning.

[Unnamed Narrator]

And by him you mean William Ivy Long.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So the guy who you were with was Mr. Long's studio associate in New York, but he apparently gives details of what happened between the two of you to Mr. Long?

[Cort Watson]

100%.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And how do you know that that's what he did?

[Cort Watson]

The next morning at breakfast, William said something to the tune of it sounds like you had a lovely evening last night, and then proceeded to describe everything that we had done in detail.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So is he describing the sexual intercourse aspect of this?

[Cort Watson]

Yes, in graphic detail.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And how many people are at this breakfast?

[Cort Watson]

Maybe 15 people. It would have been all of the weekend guests. People who had come down from New York, who I wouldn't have even been introduced to. Any of the Colony staff who had come for the party.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So where was this guy you were.

[Unnamed Narrator]

With the night before?

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Long's studio associate.

[Unnamed Narrator]

Where was he when Long's telling this story is he had breakfast?

[Cort Watson]

No, he was not there. He wasn't present.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

What do you recall about the reaction of the people who are seated at this table for breakfast while this is happening?

[Cort Watson]

I remember a woman named Laura, who worked in the costume shop at the time, pulling me aside and saying that I needed to take better care of myself. I think she was really disgusted. And she knew exactly why I was so upset. I think she saw how wounded I was.

[Unnamed Narrator]

A few months after the Lost Colony ends its season for that summer, something happens that Court doesn't know about and won't know about for 18 years. In January 2002, a lawsuit is filed against Court's employer, the Roanoke Island Historical association, which produces the Lost Colony. That lawsuit is filed by Mary Elizabeth Stewart, their production manager at the lost colony from 1999 to 2001. That would include Court's first two years at the Lost Colony.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Stewart's complaint alleges incidents of sexual abuse.

[Unnamed Narrator]

By by William Ivy Long that she.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Says she witnessed and that were also.

[Unnamed Narrator]

Relayed to her by other employees. One allegation is that Mr. Long requested a Lost Colony employee engage in a sexual act with another man in front of a board member in order to secure more funding for the production. Stewart contends that when she brought this and other allegations of a sexually hostile work environment to the board, her job position was eliminated and the board renewed William Ivy Long's employment contract with the Lost Colony. Six months after the filing of Mary Elizabeth Stewart's lawsuit, Court Watson arrives for his third summer at the Lost Colony.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Court, I want to ask you about one particular evening during your third summer at the Lost Colony. And it begins at a party at.

[Unnamed Narrator]

The home of a local figure named Norma Mills.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Can you tell me what you recall about that evening?

[Cort Watson]

It was convivial. I probably had two cocktails there. With other senior staff in management positions at the Lost Colony, but social and friendly.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So you get to the party, you have a couple of cocktails, and what happens next?

[Cort Watson]

Long arrived probably halfway, two thirds of the way through a normal evening there, and I had another cocktail. When he arrived, he invited me to go back to his house with him to get a signed copy of a book that he had been featured in earlier at another engagement, he had casually mentioned that he had several copies of this book and was happy to give me a signed copy of it.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Do you recall what the book was?

[Cort Watson]

It was called the Chop Suey Club. It was a photo coffee table book with Bruce Weber's photos of Abercrombie and Fitch models.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So Bruce Weber was very popular at.

[Cort Watson]

That time and very much a name that I knew. His photographs were in all of the Abercrombie and Fitch stores around the world. They were selling a lifestyle, and it was a lifestyle that I definitely thought was sexy and I didn't really feel part of it because I was a scrawny kid from the South. I wasn't part of that community, but I wanted to be.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Would this have been a book that you would have bought yourself?

[Cort Watson]

There's no way I could have afforded that book, even in those days. I think that book sold for more than $200. It was well out of my budget.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Once you received this invitation from Mr. Long, what do you recall about your state of intoxication at that point?

[Cort Watson]

At that point, I'd already had three drinks and I probably was not making the best choices to go back to his home with him.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Would three drinks at that time have been enough to make you intoxicated?

[Cort Watson]

Yeah, I didn't have a whole lot of exposure to underage drinking in my college experience. And that was something that was far more common at the Lost colony.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Where was Mr. Long's home in proximity to Norma Mills house down the block.

[Cort Watson]

An easy five minute walk. What I was imagining was going to happen was that I'd walk down the block, receive this copy of the book, and come back to the party, have a cup of coffee and then go home.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And then what happens next?

[Cort Watson]

He walked me back to his house. We sat on the front porch. He went inside to make me another drink that I don't recall asking for, and came back out onto the front porch. The reason we were sitting on the front porch was because his sister with developmental disabilities and an elderly nurse were both long asleep in the house.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And do you take the drink?

[Cort Watson]

I do, and I drank it.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And what happens Next, on the porch.

[Cort Watson]

He exposed himself to me. He undid his fly and pulled out his genitals.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And then what do you recall happening after that, Court?

[Cort Watson]

I remember being frozen. It was a situation I did not ask to be part of. It was not a situation I was in any way competent to consent to it continuing. And he opened the door and bodily walked me into the house, told me to be very quiet, and walked me up the stairs to his bedroom.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And what happens next?

[Cort Watson]

He undressed me. We got into bed together. And at that point, my memories blink in and out.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Because of your intoxication or something else?

[Cort Watson]

Because of my intoxication, because of a trauma response to what was happening that was well out of my control, that I had not consented to.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So of the memories that you have of this incident, what do you recall?

[Cort Watson]

I remember him saying that we should use a rubber. And I remember, once it was over, getting my clothes on as quickly as I could in some disheveled way and going back down the stairs as fast as I could and stumbling back to Norma Mills House.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

When you go back to Norma Mills House, is the party still going?

[Cort Watson]

The party is still active, yeah. It's wound down, but it's as if they're waiting up for me to come back.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And what happens next at Norma Mills House?

[Cort Watson]

They could tell that I was unsettled. They could tell that I was shaken up, and they could tell that I was in no state to drive myself from Norma's house back to the housing complex where we were living for the summer. Someone drove me back to the complex, and the next day I had to go back and get the car from downtown Manio.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So you were in such a state of intoxication that people at the party knew that you shouldn't drive home and someone drove you home?

[Cort Watson]

That's right. And they were very aware that something traumatic had happened to me, and I was not in a place to disclose anything about what had happened.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

After the incident with Mr. Long, did you report it to anyone with the Roanoke Association?

[Cort Watson]

No. Who would I have reported it to? Remember that this is the man, Mr. Long, who pulled us all into the executive director's office and said, there's no such thing as sexual harassment in the American theater. We're all pimps and whores. So what good was saying something going to do? I would have been harmed if I had said anything at the time. I wouldn't have been able to continue my employment there. I wouldn't have been able to make the money I needed to make in order to pay my rent in Richmond, Virginia, in order to have the money socked away to start renting an apartment in New York City when I started graduate school the next year.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Did you ever tell anyone about what happened to you?

[Cort Watson]

I did tell someone about it. When I was back in the safety of my undergraduate university in Richmond, I told my sewing teacher, who up to that point had been very proud of me and what I'd been able to accomplish in summer stock. She taught me how to sew. She was proud of me for having this connection with this powerful New York designer. And I did tell her what happened when I went back to school that fall.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

What brought you to tell the story to her?

[Cort Watson]

I trusted her. And she could tell that something wasn't the same with me when I came back that summer.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

She recognized that in one of her students. That being you in her position as a professor?

[Cort Watson]

Correct. She'd known me for three years, and she'd seen me grow as an emerging designer, and she could tell that something had changed. And I was not the person I was when I went down to Manio that summer.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Going back to that summer of the incident with Mr. Long, what do you recall about the rest of that summer?

[Cort Watson]

Hmm. I felt numb. I felt like I had done something wrong. I felt very isolated and very lonely.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

What do you mean that you felt like you had done something wrong?

[Cort Watson]

I felt like the temperature changed from me being welcomed in social situations to me being ostracized is perhaps too strong of a word, but no longer invited to be centered in these events in the way that I had been very much built up for and trained for for three years. At that point.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

You felt a shift after the incident with Mr. Long socially?

[Cort Watson]

Definitely.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And that was coming from Mr. Long himself.

[Cort Watson]

I felt like I was given the cold shoulder from him, from his assistance in New York, and to some extent, from management of the Lost Colony, even though I hadn't said anything. And so I'm left figuring out what mistake did I make that's caused the temperature of this place to change in.

[Unnamed Narrator]

The summer of 2003? William Ivy Long has won the Tony Award for. For best costume design for Hairspray. And Court Watson returns for a final summer at the Lost Colony.

[Cort Watson]

And I did go back in 2003 because I needed the money in order to have a nest egg to move to New York City to start graduate school at New York University. And I needed to rent an apartment in New York, which, as you know, is hard. You need your first month's rent. You need your Last month's rent, and you need your security deposit. And socking that nest egg away is what I was doing my entire summer of 2003 and focusing on the work and not leaning into those kinds of parties because I didn't feel comfortable in those spaces anymore.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So would you say the interaction with Mr. Long in that fourth summer was less than previous summers?

[Cort Watson]

Minimal. Minimal.

[Unnamed Narrator]

By the summer of 2003, Cort is now a college graduate. He makes the jump to New York City to do graduate work at NYU and graduates with a master's in scenery and costume design in 2006. Two years later, William Ivy Long picks up his fifth Tony Award for Gray Gardens, and Kourt is now working as an assistant costume designer for a Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls. And on this particular day, he's working at Tricorn Costumes in the garment district in New York City.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So, Cort, in the years since you graduated, you had been working on productions with many designers you were not working with Mr. Long?

[Cort Watson]

That's correct. In no way did I ever seek employment from William Ivey Long.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So while you're at Tricorn Costumes, you're working on Guys and Dolls, which is not designed by William Ivy Long, you have an encounter with Mr. Long. Why is he there?

[Cort Watson]

He was fitting Stockard Channing for a dress in the roundabout revival of Pal Joey that was happening at Studio 54. As I recall, someone wasn't happy with the dress that had been designed and built. There are a handful of costume shops that specialize in different kinds of costumes, and all of the designers working on Broadway shows share these resources. They share these costume shops. One show might be built in 10 different shops, so the designers pop back and forth from one shop to the other shop. Knowing that I had no interest in encountering Mr. Long, I made a point whenever they said, he's going to be in the shop today to avoid being out and about as much as possible. So one of those days when I had been warned that he was going to be in the space, I was hiding in the office as long as I conceivably could. And at a certain point, I needed a bathroom break, and I left to go to the bathroom. And either on the way there or on the way back, in a narrow back hallway, he saw me, made a beeline to me and greeted me like I was a long lost friend in my face, touched my face with his hands and said to me, my, don't you look marvelous. You've gone through puberty. And I froze in the same way that a person meeting someone who's traumatized them years before would freeze. He winked and extricated himself and walked away in the opposite direction.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And what did you do next?

[Cort Watson]

And I, continuing to be frozen, got myself back into that room and fell apart. One of the other assistant costume designers on the show, Michael Zecker, saw me being very shaken up and knew exactly what had happened, even though I had never disclosed to him anything about my interaction with Long at the Lost Colony. He could tell how upset I was. He could tell that I was physically shaking. And he suggested that maybe I take the rest of the day off. And I did.

[Unnamed Narrator]

Over the following years, Cort continues to work in the industry. In 2012, William Ivy Long is named the chairman of the American Theatre Wing. That's the organization that hands out the Tony Awards. The following year, the American Theatre Wing, under Mr. Long's leadership, gives a special Tony Award to the Lost Colony. Long also picks up his sixth Tony Award for Cinderella. Four years later, in 2017, the MeToo movement hits the country. Women shook the world as Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan and other actresses accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual harassment and assault. And the stories kept coming, toppling such entertainment icons.

[Cort Watson]

Me too. Movement and reaction to the Harvey Weinstein scandal exploding overnight. The latest headline coming from Reese Witherspoon. What we represent by gathering and marching.

In the streets is a reminder, a living, breathing reminder that we are human beings, not hashtags.

[Sean Hayden]

One year later, in 2018, the media outlet Buzzfeed publishes an article. The article is called the the Broadway Legend, the College Student and the Harassment that Still Stings Today. And the Broadway legend identified in the article is William Ivy Long. But the college student is not Court Watson. He's another former Lost Colony employee named Michael Martin.

[Adam Stocker]

The story continues in episode 17, the Court Watson Story, Part 2.

[Cort Watson]

And out of the blue, I got a phone call one evening, and it was my former boss, former executive director of the Roanoke Island Historical Association. And he told me that it had come to his attention that a potentially very damaging article about Long and about the Lost Colony was about to be released by buzzfeed. And it would be very bad if anyone spoke up about the kinds of things that went on down there.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Did you perceive the call as some sort of veiled threat?

[Cort Watson]

A veiled threat? Emotional blackmail? Yeah, 100%.

[Adam Stocker]

This episode was edited by Alex Griffith. Mixing and sound design were by Justin Gerrish. Let us know what you think about this episode. Send us a DM at Instagram tage combatthepodcast IG or email [e-mail] I'll meet you over at episode 17, Stage Combat. The podcast is a production of Heywood Productions, LLC. The content in this episode is not medical advice. Please consult with a medical professional.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

The content in this episode is also.

[Adam Stocker]

Not legal advice, so please consult with an attorney.