DEEP DIVE: EPSTEIN THEATER INDUSTRY CONNECTS POST 2008
Stage Left Report broke the news earlier this week on a variety of Broadway and New York City theater connections found in the latest Epstein document release from the DOJ.
Earlier this week, Stage Left Report broke the news that a variety of Broadway and New York theater connections could be found in the newest Epstein document release from the DOJ after his first conviction in 2008.
This week’s newsletter will be reviewing the timeline on who in our industry appears to have either met directly with, asked for money from, or generally conversed amicably with Jeffrey Epstein and his direct associates after his 2008 public conviction for soliciting prostitution from a fourteen year old child, who reports being molested in 2005 at his mansion in Palm Beach.
To my understanding, this 2008 high-profile conviction marked the time when it was finally widespread knowledge within the upper echelons of the entertainment industry about his sexual misconduct with children.
I will also bold new convictions and public knowledge of his sex crimes so you can understand the timeline of events better.
Inclusion in this article and in the Epstein documents does not imply that these people or organizations are implicated in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes or the crimes of his direct associates.
This is the first of two parts based on my two main intentions for sharing this information:
This first section is intended to help you understand how rich and powerful people can continue to access “high society” and the arts and culture they love while overlooking (or actively helping to launder their image) after a publicized history of sexually abusing young women and children.
The second section I’m releasing later is intended to help you understand how art schools, camps, and programs can be used as the ideal environment to groom children into sex trafficking, and how students seeking financial assistance and scholarships can be fed into this pipeline. (Likely to be released in the next 1-2 weeks.)
Below are linked documents from the DOJ in timeline order of events.
JUNE 30, 2008 - Jeffrey Epstein is sentenced to 18 months in a minimum-security facility. He is allowed to leave for 12 hours a day to work at a foundation that he had recently incorporated, according to the Justice Department. (NPR)
APRIL 2009 (Still incarcerated?): Jeffrey Epstein emails someone redacted telling them to “call Lesley, tell her what broadway show you and your [girlfriend] would like to see. Lion King? Phantom of the opera?”
House seats with “Tickets arranged by Julie Taymor - Jules” (her assistant at the time). Here is the correspondence between Lesley Groff and Julie’s assistant arranging these tickets.
MAY 2009 - One of Epstein’s accusers files a lawsuit claiming Epstein and Maxwell arranged for her to have sexual encounters with “royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen” and others. (PBS)
JULY 22, 2009 - Jeffrey Epstein is released from the state facility. (NPR)
MARCH 2, 2011 - The Daily Mail publishes an interview with Giuffre in which she describes traveling with Epstein to London at age 17 and spending a night dancing with Andrew, then known as Prince Andrew. (PBS)
MAY 2011: Epstein has on his schedule for June 7th a CHICAGO afterparty at 10pm for Christie Brinkley, he goes with Billy Norwich, former Vogue editor.
In this schedule, it also notes the CFDA Fashion Awards at Lincoln Center, an opening and afterparty at the Lincoln Center for a documentary called PAGE ONE about the New York Times.
JULY 2011: Eva Dubin asks Jeffrey if she can get tickets to Spider Man from Julie Taymor.
JUNE 2012: Jeffrey Epstein is invited to Lauren Gunderson and Nathan Wolfe’s wedding via Paperless Post.
Here is more reporting on Nathan Wolfe’s involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, Lauren’s ex husband as of October 2025
SEPTEMBER 2012: Jeffrey Epstein invited via Peggy Siegal to a Jeffrey Katzenberg hosted “intimate first look” at Dreamwork’s RISE OF THE GUARDIANS.
OCTOBER 2012: Jeffrey Horowitz, the Founding Artistic Director of Theatre for a New Audience, reaches out directly to Jeffrey Epstein “writing at the suggestion of Julie Taymor” asking for contributions for their $68.5 million campaign.
DECEMBER 2012: Via his publicist Peggy Siegal Holy shit! You can come to Hugh Jackman and Tom Hooper’s private screening of “Les Mis” at 5:00pm at AMC Lincoln Square Theater at 68/Bway and private NO PRESS supper at hugh’s best friends Jay and Kelly Sugarman’s penthouse at One CPW…have amazing. crowd…
Here is the official invite for the Les Mis screening, and here is Lesley confirming that Jeffrey would come.
This email chain also has an email from Peggy to Jeffrey asking him to “PLEASE bring age appropriate date with a last name. Too many high profile people coming….”
DECEMBER 2012: Paula Heil Fisher, Broadway investor, invites Jeffrey to the Winter White Gala at Lincoln Center saying “Well, enjoy the clowns xo”
JANUARY 2013: “Reminder you told Jeffrey Horowitz & Julie Taymor you would be back in NY Jan. 15 and hope to see Theatre for a New Audience sometime after this.” Redacted to/from so unclear who this was sent from and if it was to Epstein directly.
JANUARY 2013, CONT’D: Leon Botstein asks the executive director of the American Symphony Orchestra to send Epstein the rehearsal schedule for the concert at Carnegie Hall next week. Lynne Meloccaro says she will put the Friday dress rehearsal “on your schedule.”
From Jeffrey Epstein “tell the black girl that we are going to symphony reheasal at camegie hall for an hour , tomorow at 1130. woudl she like to join.”
Assistant to Jeffrey Epstein reaching out “If he happens to bring along a friend, would that be ok?”
APRIL 2013: Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director of TFANA, says to Epstein “We would love to show you the building that Julie Taymor is going to inaugurate with her production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.”
He receives a follow-up about the tour from John Howard, CEO of Irving Place Capital, the next day.
OCTOBER 2013: Reaching out to the assistant of President of Bard College Leon Botstein asking if he can secure a Carnegie Hall ticket for Jeffrey’s friend since she called and they told her it was sold out. Later arranging a meeting on October 3 with Jeffrey and Leon and a redacted name.
DECEMBER 2013: Lesley asking Jeffrey if she should purchase a ticket for “Justina” to Carnegie Hall.
More coordination about these tickets.
FEBRUARY 2014: Epstein makes a charitable contribution to Lincoln Center Theatre for $25,000.
APRIL 2014: Lesley Groff gets house seats for Cabaret arranged with Jeffrey Epstein’s credit card and name on the seats.
Amanda Skarbnik says, “I am going to follow up with Alan Cumming and Hylda Queally from the production,” knowing these tickets are for Epstein (unclear if that info was shared with these people)
OCTOBER 2014: Jeffrey and Leon Botstein meet at Carnegie Hall.
Someone redacted with a Russian email signature is told to meet Jeffrey in front of Carnegie Hall “today at 11:50am… he says please do not be late as he will not wait for you… (I would be there early if I were you!)
Email reminder that Leon Botstein would like to set up a call.
SEPTEMBER 2014: Invitation to the premiere of My Old Lady, a film by Israel Horovitz, at MoMA
SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 - Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre sues longtime Epstein confidante and associate Ghislaine Maxwell for defamation, after Maxwell called her a liar for claiming to be a victim of a sexual conspiracy run by Maxwell and Epstein. (NPR)
OCTOBER 2015: Jeffrey receives an email from a redacted name and address stating “The 2 blonds are nice, German =on my right could come tomorrow same time as eyes, 21. Smart. She is also coming to the Carnegie hall with me. The other one - ); need to spe=d more time with her. Slovak. And have another hom=less russian, to work on.”
APRIL 2016: Jeffrey is invited to Leon Botstein’s dress rehearsal at Carnegie Hall.
Email from a redacted name to Jeffrey, “I told [REDACTED] how horny I was and she got a look on her face and started running away saying ‘Don’t jump on me!’ … And she finally told me about Carnegie Hall ;)”
OCTOBER 2016: Simon Ghraichy reaches out with a poster for his Carnegie Hall concert. Jeffrey responds that “all the girls can go if they like,” and then she reaches out to someone redacted to ask “if you and your boyfriend would like to go to Simons concert on Friday… let me know!”
OCTOBER 2016: New York Philharmonic Development Department reached out asking for “Mr. Epstein’s Support for this very special event celebrating Zubin Mehta,” music director emeritus of the Israel and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
MARCH 2017: Epstein donates $25,000 to the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
APRIL 2017: Purchased tickets to The Lion King (To and From email addresses redacted)
MAY 2017: Jeffrey gets four tickets to the opening of Oslo at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center, a a three-hour political drama about the 1993 peace treaty between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization known as the Oslo Accords.
The year prior he seems to have gotten Oslo tickets secured through a Norwegian diplomat as well?
In another May email, he notes that he “hired out the entire theatre for the u,n , people =to see the play OSLO at lincoln center. it went well l=hear.”
In June of 2017, he emails Juleanna Glover On another note, one of the quiet things that i have already been doing is funding the International Peace Institute. Tonight I anonymously bought out the entire vivian beaumont theatre in order that a mojority U. N diplomats could be see OSLO . the tony nominated play. If you and your guest were free. ( fully aware of the last minute nature ) , you would be part of the private gatherings. many interesting people will attend . In this same email chain, he is asking for a date to meet with Mike Abramowitz of Freedom House.
JUNE 2017: Jeffrey writes to a redacted name, “Nys department of motor vehicles. Learner permit. Test. . Bronx zoo. Brooklyn botanical gardens, Chinatown reflexology, . Circle line boat trip with You pay. Ballet. Lincoln center, Classical music. Lincoln center. High line bicycyle path, Six flags. Roller coasters. New Jersey “
SEPTEMBER 2017: REDACTED to and from has dinner plans with Woody, Soon Yi and Julie Taymor.
SEPTEMBER 2019 VICTIM TESTIMONY: EPSTEIN bought them tickets to see Phantom of the Opera. This was a big deal for [REDACTED] at the time.
NOVEMBER 2018 - The Miami Herald revisits the handling of Epstein’s case in a series of stories focusing partly on the role of Acosta (who got Epstein the original deal that would avoid federal prosecution.) By this point, Acosta is President Donald Trump’s labor secretary. (PBS)
MAY 2020 (Referring to victim testimony): Assistant US Attorney followed up with Robert Glassman about “The Lion King question”, he says “Epstein bragged about being good friends with Julie Taymor, and we had amazing first row mezzanine seats they she had apparently given him. “
THEATER INDUSTRY FOLKS RESPOND:
PLAYBILL: Playwright Lauren Gunderson Responds to Her Name Showing Up in the Jeffrey Epstein Files
SF CHRONICLE: Acclaimed S.F. playwright Lauren Gunderson denies any connection to Jeffrey Epstein after name appears in files
When asked by the Chronicle about that correspondence, Gunderson acknowledged, “I get how this could sound like we met,” but reiterated she never met him.
“The only thing that makes any sense is that my ex-husband spoke about me and my profession in his presence, since we were newly engaged,” she said.
MORE BACKGROUND:
“Generally speaking, I would submit a guest list to the studios for pre-approval … Regardless, I don’t recall a studio ever voicing an objection either before or after he attended an event.”
Here is another timeline from NPR that I used to reference Epstein’s legal timeline.
That’s all this week. See you in two weeks with more on this (And then regular newsletters after that!)
Thank you for your work on this. I know it's not easy to do and I'm incredibly grateful that you're doing it for all of us.
Thank you for these efforts. The truth must be revealed.