The London theater released the findings of an investigation into Mr. Spacey’s behavior before and during his time as artistic director there.
LONDON — The Old Vic theater here said 20 people have come forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior by the actor Kevin Spacey before and during his time as the theater’s artistic director.
Following accusations of sexual misconduct against the actor, the theater opened an investigation into Mr. Spacey’s 11-year tenure, from 2004 to 2015, and released the conclusions in a report on Thursday. The theater apologized to those affected for “not creating an environment or culture where people felt able to speak freely.”
The report said that only one of the 20 complaints was raised at the time. The theater said that despite processes being in place for reporting such issues, people did not feel able to raise concerns.
The report said of Mr. Spacey: “The investigation found that his stardom and status at the Old Vic may have prevented people, and in particular junior staff or young actors, from feeling that they could speak up or raise a hand for help.”
After the actor Anthony Rapp accused Mr. Spacey of sexual misconduct 31 years ago, when Mr. Rapp was 14, more men came forward with similar allegations. Some of the allegations center on Mr. Spacey’s time at the Old Vic theater, which has been accused of turning a blind eye to them.
In an initial statement on Oct. 31, the Old Vic said it was “deeply dismayed” by the allegations and announced it was setting up a confidential email address for people to come forward.
The theater then engaged a law firm to conduct the investigation. The 20 allegations made relate to a range of inappropriate behavior from 1995 to 2013, none of which involved minors.
Thursday’s report said that in addition to Mr. Spacey’s stardom, factors that may have contributed to the problem included a lack of clarity about the Old Vic’s accepted code of behavior, confusion regarding the impact of reporting misconduct, and career insecurity.
The report emphasized that the Old Vic was not able to independently verify the allegations, nor did Mr. Spacey take part in the investigation. The report also said the theater’s trustees were unaware of the allegations.
Earlier this week, Sally Greene, the Old Vic chief executive who hired Mr. Spacey, released a statement in which she said she was “shocked and appalled” by the claims against him. She said: “ I was unaware of any allegations involving Kevin Spacey, or any form of sexual impropriety, whether connected to the Old Vic or not.”
Mr. Spacey immediately responded to Mr. Rapp’s allegations with an apology that was widely criticized, in part for using it as the moment to come out as gay. Except for a statement made on Nov. 2 by Mr. Spacey’s publicist, who said the actor was seeking treatment, Mr. Spacey has since remained silent.
