SALISBURY — After Artistic Director Bradley Moore was fired unexpectedly, members of Piedmont Players Theatre say that the way the decision was handled has raised questions about the effectiveness of the board of directors and their ability to run the non-profit.

A meeting has been called to “discuss the behaviors of the board, and hold a vote for the removal of board members,” according to the letter sent to the board of governors.

Edward Norvell, who has taken over as interim president after Taylor Hutchins stepped down due to health issues, said that he has been personally working with some of the members who called for the meeting to make sure that all members are allowed to voice their opinions and that all discourse that is had is respectful. The meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, will be a closed, members-only meeting.

Norvell said that he and Caroline Forrester, who has been a prominent voice in support of Moore and changing the membership of the board, will each be given 10 to 15 minutes to speak and state their case. Any of the members who wish to speak will then be given approximately a minute to speak for whichever side they support. Votes will then be collected in secret ballots and counted by theater staff.

Both Norvell and Forrester said that they have been working closely together in preparation for the meeting. They noted that they wanted to keep the meeting courteous, and in that spirit spoke with a Catawba College professor about how best to moderate it. That professor pointed to the Robert’s Rules of Order.

Forrester said that while she did not want to speak for anyone else, she signed the letter because she felt that the firing of Moore raised questions about how well the board represented the theater’s community. 

“A large group of us felt like we weren’t accurately represented by the board’s actions, and we wanted to work to change that,” Forrester said.

Norvell said that he felt that the board’s decision was 100 percent justified. While he said that he wanted to apologize to the cast of “POTUS,” who canceled showings of the play due to the sudden nature of Moore’s firing, he felt that moving on was the correct decision.

“Was it an easy decision? Hell no, not for me. I was on the selection committee that hired Bradley,” Norvell said.

Norvell said that Moore’s firing had nothing to do with the director personally or his artistic vision, instead that the board made the decision because they felt that the business side of the theater was being severely neglected. He noted that the board already had to change Moore’s title from executive director to artistic director, to allow him to fully focus on the play side. Even after the change, the board had to search for private donations during “RENT” in order to make payroll and pay the bills to keep the theater open.

“Theater is a lot more than artistic vision,” Norvell said.

Forrester said that although Moore’s firing had served as the catalyst for galvanizing the community, calling the meeting was less about the former director and more about the board’s actions. She also said that she had nothing against the board members, saying her issues were “not personal, but personnel.”

Norvell also took the time to answer some of the allegations that had been levied after the board fired Moore. He said that the decision had nothing to do with Moore’s sexuality, noting that Piedmont Players Theatre has been historically active in pride events in Salisbury.

“If I was a involved with a board, or anything else, that I thought was homophobic, I’d immediately resign because that is not who I am,” Norvell said.