The founding father of a Manhattan theater college is a “sexual predator” who preyed on feminine college students, foisting alcohol on them and giving them creepy massages beneath the guise of vocal coaching, a brand new lawsuit alleges.
Andrew Drost, 50, stepped down as head of The Institute for American Musical Theater in December after allegedly being uncovered as a “monster” by mother and father and college students, in response to the Manhattan Supreme Court docket go well with from final week.
However the accused creep now apparently needs to return to educating — prompting the Higher Manhattan institute to take the matter to court docket in a bid to get him banned from returning.
“He needs to return again and educate the scholars and he’s not welcome again,” Michael Minarik, Drost’s former enterprise accomplice on the college, and it present director, informed The Submit.
Drost is now preventing to return again to the varsity.
In the meantime, the varsity sued to bar him from returning.
The lawsuit particulars how Drost – who as soon as had a task in “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway – allegedly put a therapeutic massage desk within the widespread room, the place he would give feminine college students rubdowns, claiming “it was “a technique to assist calm down the vocal cords.”
In one other occasion, he allegedly used a vibrator to therapeutic massage a pupil’s neck — and “insisted it wasn’t something unusual,” the lawsuit says.
The go well with additionally describes a very disturbing incident the place Drost allegedly plied a 19-year-old feminine pupil with booze and fed her what he referred to as an “anti-alcohol tablet” earlier than giving her “a full physique therapeutic massage.”
He then continued to sexually harass the younger girl, entering into for kisses, pressuring her into massages, forcing her to sit down on his lap, holding her hand at college and sending her quite a few textual content messages, the go well with alleges.
In November 2021 messages obtained by The Submit, Drost despatched pictures of himself – together with one in all him shirtless – telling the woman that he cherished her.
Drost, who’s been an expert ballet dancer, opera singer, Broadway performer and voice coach, can also be accused of bullying college students and threatening to blacklist them from Broadway in the event that they didn’t do what he needed, in response to the go well with.
Along with allegedly preying on and terrorizing college students, the voice coach stole greater than $400,000 from the varsity, which he based in 2015, the lawsuit claims.
Minarik stated college students “rejoiced” after they heard the information of Drost’s departure, including that he obtained thanks from household and college students alike for serving to to push him out.
“As soon as the allegations had been informed to me the very subsequent day he was gone,” Minarik stated. “As a result of the security of the scholars is an important factor.”
Now, Drost – who agreed to scale back his possession stake within the college to 25% as a silent accomplice amid the scandal – is threatening to retake his outdated administrative function, court docket paperwork say.
In his personal October lawsuit, Drost claimed Minarik used what he says are bogus allegations to strain him into a nasty exit deal, and stated he needs to undo the settlement.
Minarik and the varsity each filed fits towards Drost on Friday opposing his try to return again in mild of the intense allegations towards him and alleged widespread dislike of him.
A decide granted non permanent orders from Monday and Tuesday blocking Drost from coming inside 500 ft of the varsity, contacting college students or utilizing the varsity web site till a listening to subsequent week.
The college’s go well with alleges that on June 4, 2021 in Dallas, Texas, Drost – who was concerned with a girl he has since married – plied college students with alcohol earlier than asking the 19-year-old girl as much as his resort room the place he gave her the tablet that made her drained.
Then whereas she was drunk and drowsy Drost allegedly gave her “a full physique therapeutic massage” making her take off her prime and bra earlier than additionally massaging her higher inside thigh, the go well with says.
He then grabbed her to cease her when she tried to depart, and when she was lastly capable of return to her personal room, she threw up, the go well with alleges.
Drost “continued to strain [the student] into massages, to which [the student] acquiesced as a result of she was afraid of the repercussions of claiming no,” the go well with claims.
As soon as, when he allegedly tried to kiss her on Dec. 3, 2021, he informed her he didn’t know if issues would work out with the girl who's now his spouse and stated, “who is aware of, possibly you and I will probably be married in ten years,” the submitting claims.
When she rebuffed one other one in all Drost tried kisses he stated, “That’s strike one,” the go well with alleges.
The coed filed a report with the police in August 2022, and on Friday a New York Household Court docket decide issued an order of safety towards Drost, in response to the go well with.
After the allegations got here out, Drost informed the coed to “delete all my textual content messages” encouraging her to as a substitute transfer their communications over to Snapchat in order that they might disappear after they're learn, the go well with claims.
When different college students tried to “intercede” after they observed how Drost handled the coed, he retaliated by stripping them of “profession alternatives, or threatened to take action,” the go well with says.
The college claims a slew of different allegedly inappropriate conduct by Drost together with that he as soon as unfold a rumor that a pupil had a cocaine habit, in response to the court docket paperwork.
One other pupil developed an consuming dysfunction as a result of he repeatedly informed her she wanted a “dance physique,” the go well with claims.
Drost allegedly gave “monetary assist” to a few feminine college students, sending a complete of $5,170 to them by way of Venmo to assist with their tuition — “as a technique to drive the scholars to stay loyal to him,” the submitting alleges.
He additionally had two feminine college students reside with him from 2018 to 2020, with one saying “she felt ‘uncomfortable’ dwelling” there, the lawsuit claims.
The go well with accuses Drost of stealing over $435,000 from the varsity coffers and of usually requesting that tuition funds be made to his private Venmo or Paypal accounts.
“I used to be fully shocked and fully blind to all of what was occurring with him and the scholars and the way he was making them really feel,” Minarik informed The Submit. “And it fully pained me to be taught all of these items and coping with the aftermath of it.”
The college is suing Drost for unspecified damages. Minarik can also be suing to bar Drost from coming again to the varsity and to drive him to purchase himself out of the establishment.
Zachary Kuperman, a lawyer for the varsity and Minarik, informed The Submit: “We're going to win this go well with and we're going to hold him away and the varsity goes to thrive and the scholars are going to have a fantastic place to be taught musical theater.”
Drost’s lawyer Andres Munoz informed The Submit: “The 2 current lawsuits filed by Michael Minarik distort the reality and are an try to fully take over and oust Andrew from the Firm that he based. Mr. Drost is assured that justice will probably be completed.”
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