35 Grove Members Voice Ire : Controversy: Letter of protest charges the board with ‘great insensitivity’ in the resignation of director Thomas Bradac.

Fallout from the July 1 ouster of Grove Shakespeare Festival founding director Thomas Bradac continued this week with the mailing of an open letter of protest signed by 35 company members.

Also, it was reported that Kamella Tate has withdrawn from the lead role of Kate in the upcoming Grove production of “The Taming of the Shrew” over what she called “frustration with the lack of openness and sensitivity in the board’s relationship with the company.” Tate, who was unavailable for comment, will continue in the female lead of the Grove’s current production, “Measure for Measure,” according to a company spokesman.

Another actor, Daniel Bryan Cartmell, said he too has withdrawn from a key role in an upcoming production, Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” which is to conclude the season. He said his decision resulted from a dispute over salary and had nothing to do with Bradac’s ouster. Still, the company veteran said he fears his involvement with the troupe may be coming to an end.

Both Cartmell and Tate were among those who signed the protest letter, which charged the board with “great insensitivity” in forcing Bradac’s resignation. Bradac resigned at a July 1 board meeting, citing “personal reasons,” but later confirmed that he had been told to step down by board president Tom Moon.

“We recognize the board’s action is irreversible,” the letter reads. “Nonetheless, we cannot in good conscience let it pass without attempting to express our indignation.” In addition to Tate and Cartmell, the signers include actors David Anthony Smith, Elizabeth Norment and Carl Reggiardo, who is to direct “Our Town.”

Cartmell said the letter was written soon after Bradac’s ouster but was held up so it would not detract attention from the company’s gala fund-raiser on July 29.

“We didn’t want to close the doors. . . . We just wanted to express our grief openly,” Cartmell said. “It was part of the bereavement process.”

He said many in the company declined to sign the letter “because they didn’t know the situation. There was no beef with that. They didn’t know the man.”

Cartmell, who is playing the male lead in “Measure for Measure,” said he will perform in “The Taming of the Shrew” despite the salary squabble that led to his departure from “Our Town.”

Actors in outdoor productions at the Festival Amphitheatre get the equity minimum of $350 a week. The minimum drops to $225 a week for indoor productions at the Gem Theatre, such as “Our Town.” But Cartmell said he has received $350 for indoor productions in the past, most recently in 1989, and declined to work for the lower salary.

But Cartmell said he believes his outspokenness over Bradac’s ouster, coupled with the salary dispute, may be spelling an end to his long association with the Grove.

Tate will be replaced by Robin Goodrin Nordli in “Shrew,” which is scheduled to open Aug. 29. Nordli appeared in February in “You Can’t Take It With You” at South Coast Repertory.

Neither Barbara Hammerman, managing director of the Grove, nor board president Moon could be reached for comment.