Stage 13 and Argenta Contemporary Theatre have reached a $150,000 settlement regarding a lawsuit filed by ACT in 2025.
The lawsuit alleged that 13 of ACT’s former employees committed corporate sabotage and theft when they all left at the same time on Aug. 24 last year. The settlement includes no admission of liability or wrongdoing from either party.
“Our mission has always been bigger than this lawsuit,” reads a statement from Stage 13. “Rather than continue spending valuable time and resources in court, our committed board of directors and founders made the decision to move forward and return our full focus to serving Arkansas through performing arts.”
An anonymous philanthropist donated $150,000 to Stage 13 to cover the settlement and paid the legal fees for both Stage 13 and the 14 individuals named in the lawsuit.
“We will never be able to fully express our gratitude for this extraordinary act of generosity,” said Stage 13’s co-executive directors Alyson Courtney and Warren McCullough in the statement. “This gift wasn’t simply about resolving a lawsuit; it was about protecting our mission. Because of this donor’s incredible belief in Stage 13, our staff can move beyond litigation and return to creating art and investing in students, productions and the community.”
The theater company’s statement also read, “Argenta Community Theater has finalized a settlement resolving its litigation related to the departure of former employees and the formation of Stage 13. Under the agreement, ACT will receive $150,000 from Stage 13, and Stage 13 defendants and [Stage 13 board president] William Feland, are voluntarily dismissing their claims against ACT, [chair of the board] Christian Gwatney Baker and [co-founder] Vincent Isalaco with no payment.”
ACT executive director Jeremy Williams released the following statement:
We are excited to share with you that Argenta Contemporary Theatre (ACT) has reached a favorable resolution and milestone. On July 28, 2026, we executed an agreement with Stage 13 which resolves our litigation related to last year’s departure of some former employees. Under this agreement, Stage 13 will pay ACT $150,000.
Additionally, the Stage 13 defendants and William Feland are voluntarily dismissing their claims against ACT, Christian Gwatney Baker, and Vincent Insalaco. No settlement will be paid by ACT as all claims are completely dismissed. The settlement includes no confidentiality provision, and the litigation concludes without any finding or admission of wrongdoing by ACT or its leadership, all of whom consistently and categorically denied the allegations made against them from the outset.
Despite these challenges over the past year, we couldn’t be more proud of our team and their accomplishments. Our stage productions and educational programming continued to grow, our summer ACTing Up program achieved record participation, and we expanded our community partnerships. These successes were made possible by the extraordinary commitment of our board, staff, artists, students, families, donors, sponsors and community partners.
Our doors remain open to all, and we remain focused on our mission to nurture and advance the performing arts through performance, education and community collaboration. Thank you for your continued support.
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