A seating mix-up at the Lyric sparks racism allegations, investigation

An altercation that erupted over seating arrangements at a recent Mother’s Day performance at the Lyric has prompted an internal investigation at the prestigious theater amid allegations of racism that quickly spread across social media.

It’s unclear what exactly happened at the Washington National Opera’s matinee performance of “West Side Story,” but at least one of the women involved said she won’t be satisfied until the CEO of the Lyric resigns.

Veronica Dunlap, a Baltimore native and former American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland deputy executive director, said she and her son were unfairly kicked out of the May 10 performance over a seat mix-up. She said she was accidentally seated in the wrong seats by an usher, and was verbally attacked by the proper ticket holders during intermission.

Dunlap, who is Black, said the Lyric’s staff forced her to leave the theater and allowed the other couple, who are white, to stay. She said the disparate treatment was a “racist response” to a humiliating incident.

The couple who reclaimed their seats have not been identified and so far have not publicly shared their version of what happened. Nevertheless, speculation and discussion about the incident has spread across the Internet, driven in part by a LinkedIn post by Associated Black Charities CEO Chrissy Thornton, who called for the Lyric to make a public apology to Dunlap. The allegations have since spread to TikTok, Instagram and Reddit, among other platforms.

In response to that LinkedIn post, Stephen Palmer, chairman of the Lyric’s board, wrote that “both parties involved were addressed by staff in a consistent manner and were offered the same accommodations, including refunds and invitations to attend a future performance of West Side Story.”

But following public backlash, the board of trustees announced that it had hired a law firm to conduct an investigation “to evaluate where changes may be needed.”

Dunlap said she and her son, Massawa El, were unknowingly sat in the wrong seats until intermission, when she left to visit the concession stand. When she returned to the seats, the correct ticket holders loudly accused her of stealing them.

“The white woman was standing up, and her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were wide open, and she yelled — not said, not whispered — in my face, ‘Why did you steal my seat, thief?’” Dunlap said.

Dunlap said the mix-up resulted from a Lyric usher initially seating her and her son in the wrong spot in the dark theater. “It happens, honest mistakes,” she said.

But the woman who confronted Dunlap said she should be thrown out and “of course it would be you to steal my seat,” according to Dunlap.

“She said, ‘You need to get away from me and I’m going to call security,’” Dunlap said. “I said, ‘No, I will call security because you are yelling at me.‘”

When security arrived, Dunlap said, the woman “started screaming again: ‘She stole our seats, get her out of here!’”

Security then told Dunlap and her son they had to leave the theater. The couple was allowed to remain in their seats, Dunlap said.

After the incident, Dunlap said, she and Lyric CEO Thomas Bailey spoke in the lobby, where she questioned her removal. Dunlap said Bailey told her that security said she was the aggressive one.

Dunlap said the Lyric’s response was racist because “instead of protecting me, they told me I have to leave and left the aggressor there.”

“If I were a white woman with my white child and the situation had been reversed, and that was a Black couple yelling at me,” Dunlap said, “I promise you they would have been thrown out and we would have been surrounded and protected and coddled.”

Bailey and Palmer declined to comment through spokesman Wes Popolizio until an investigation of the incident is complete. A special committee for the board of trustees for The Lyric said in a statement Wednesday that they have hired the multinational Mintz law firm to conduct the investigation.

“In commissioning this work, Board Chair Stephen Palmer stressed the seriousness of the concerns raised and the critical need for an objective and thorough review to establish the facts and evaluate where changes may be needed,” the statement read.

“The Lyric is committed to the highest professional standards in its treatment of patrons and employees, and to the fair and equitable treatment of every person who comes through our doors. The Board is undertaking this work to ensure those commitments are fully reflected in the institution’s policies, training, and practices.”

Dunlap said she was not offered a refund and had to email Bailey to request one, which she said was granted without an apology.

Dunlap said Bailey should step down because his handling of the situation reflects poor leadership.

“I need to see him gone,” the Towson resident said.

The Washington National Opera declined to comment via spokesperson Laura Farmer.

Dunlap said she’s filed complaints about what happened with the Maryland Civil Rights Commission and the Maryland State Arts Council.