Beverly Man Accused Of Inappropriate Behavior Sues For Back Pay

BEVERLY, MA —A Beverly man who was investigated by the Essex County District Attorney's office for sexually inappropriate contact is suing the bankrupt Boston Children's Theater for nearly $250,000 in back pay and benefits.

Brian Burgess Clark, who filed his lawsuit in Salem Superior Court last week, resigned as the Beverly-based nonprofit's executive artistic director in November. Within weeks, the theater had filed for bankruptcy protection and interim president Jim Solomon forwarded an anonymous email to Beverly police.

The Essex County District Attorney's office told the Salem News that "there have been no new developments" in the investigation and Clark was never charged.

In the lawsuit, which also named Solomon and three other former board members, Clark claims he was fired without cause. Clark claims that, despite signing a new, three-year contract in 2017 that would have raised his salary from $75,000 in the first year to $94,000 in the final year, he received just $20,000 in 2018 and no wages in 2019.

More than a dozen former students at the Boston Children's Theater have accused Clark of inappropriate behavior, but some parents expressed skepticism about the allegations after a meeting with the board of directors last fall.

Still, Clark resigned on Nov. 4 while on a six-week medical leave from the theater. On Nov. 16, the theater said it had "decided to part ways" with executive director Toby Schine, who shared a house in Beverly with Clark and his partner.

Schine's departure came 12 days after the theater's board said it had "full confidence" in him.