Chemeketa stands behind 'Oliver!' director with misdemeanor sex-abuse conviction
Chemeketa Community College officials said they will not take action in response to community concerns about the criminal record of the director of the college’s production of “Theater Under the Stars: Oliver!”
In August 2022, a jury found Stephen Graham Munshaw, 56, guilty of one charge of third-degree sexual abuse. The offense is a Class A misdemeanor.
According to Yamhill County Circuit Court records, Munshaw was accused of touching the genitals and buttocks of an adult male without his consent. Munshaw was sentenced to 24 months of probation, starting Aug. 2, 2022, and was required to register as a sex offender.
The court also ordered him to spend 48 hours in jail, perform 10 days on a work crew and have no contact with the victim. His probation was terminated early, on Aug. 3, 2023, according to court records.
Chemeketa officials would not disclose whether they informed production members or minors’ parents about Munshaw’s sex-offender status. The musical, based on the Charles Dickens novel "Oliver Twist," features minors in the cast.
Munshaw is employed by the college in its event services department. He has been active in theater in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia for decades.
He told the Statesman Journal on Tuesday that his attorney had advised him not to comment.
Chemeketa issues response to questions about Munshaw
College administrators wrote in a statement in response to the Statesman Journal’s interview request:
“Recently, concerns have been raised about an employee and his participation in the upcoming production of Oliver! We want to assure the community that this employee was transparent and disclosed necessary personal information related to the issue raised.
“Following our rigorous hiring protocol, which includes a comprehensive pre-employment background check and as-needed subsequent reviews, it was determined that this individual poses no risk to employees, students, children or the public at large,” the statement reads.
The college said the "safety and well-being of our students, employees, and community members are our top priorities.”
“We appreciate the trust that our community places in us, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for everyone involved in our programs," Chemeketa administrators said in their statement.
Area theater groups distance themselves from production
Community concerns arose after promotional materials for the musical said it was being produced in partnership with Children’s Educational Theatre, The Salem Playhouse and McMinnville’s Gallery Theater.
All three groups have policies that prohibit registered sex offenders from working or volunteering on productions.
Representatives of all three groups said they weren’t aware of the partnership claims until hearing from concerned community members and had never partnered with the production. They said they had asked weeks ago that their names be removed from the materials.
“I cannot comment on why Chemeketa Community College would have a registered sex offender doing a production that involves children,” said Charity Livingston, president of the Gallery Theater Board of Directors.
“However, I want to make it abundantly clear that Gallery Theater has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Munshaw. He has never directed with us, and we do maintain a list of 'approved directors' to direct with us,” Livingston said. “Knowing of his registration status, we would not permit him to do any production in our theater, even if it did not directly involve children, since we have so many children in our community.”
Chemeketa removed mention of the specific groups from the production’s webpage in late June, instead saying the performance is “in conjunction with theatre professionals throughout the Willamette Valley.”
However, a July 11 news release distributed to media outlets throughout the Willamette Valley still said the production was partnering with CET.
“On their website it said we facilitated auditions, which did not happen,” said Robert Salberg, CET’s executive director. “None of our staff is working on the show. We’ve advertised it to none of our children. We are not in any shape, way or form affiliated with this production, at all.”
Oregon law prohibits sex offenders in K-12 districts
Oregon law prohibits an individual with a third-degree sexual abuse conviction from working in a K-12 public school district or charter school. The law does not apply to community colleges, which generally serve adults.
“An individual with a conviction for sex abuse in the third degree would not be approved to volunteer or work for the district,” Salem-Keizer Public Schools spokesman Aaron Harada said.
Salem resident Marni Carlson is among those who raised concerns.
Carlson told the Statesman Journal she left a voicemail for Chemeketa President Jessica Howard on June 19 expressing her concerns about Munshaw working with children.
“I received a call back on Thursday the 20th from the fine arts department assuring me the matter would go to HR,” she said. “A few days later I received a call from HR that the situation was being handled.”
Carlson said she never heard anything more.
“I think, as a public institution, the degree of sex offense should not necessarily be the determining factor of whether someone is considered rehabilitatable,” she said. “The bottom line is, he’s a registered sex offender who had a probation officer, who’s now working with minors. And trying to create integrity by lining himself up with theater companies that have an excellent reputation.”
“Theater Under the Stars: Oliver!” is scheduled to be performed in August at the Gerry Frank Amphitheater in downtown Salem.
Tracy Loew covers education at the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips: tloew@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6779. Follow her on Twitter at @Tracy_Loew
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Director Stephen Munshaw stays on 'Oliver!' despite record
