Theatre Faces Lawsuit Alleging Mishandled Contributions

by Chris Peterson

Pinnacle Structures Inc., a Cabot-based business, has filed a lawsuit against Argenta Contemporary Theatre and its now-former director, Vincent Insalaco, accusing them of misusing more than $819,000 in donated funds.

According to the complaint, Pinnacle alleges that the Arkansas theatre and Insalaco failed to use the contributions for their intended purposes and instead handled the money improperly. The suit outlines several claims, including fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, conversion of funds, and misrepresentation.

Pinnacle also asserts that Insalaco restricted access to certain theatre accounts and that the donated money was not used in the way the company had been told it would be.

Those are the facts as they’ve been reported — straightforward, serious, and unmistakably significant for a regional arts organization.

And once you move beyond the legal language, you can feel the weight of what this represents. A lawsuit like this isn’t just a financial dispute; it’s a fracture in the relationship between a donor and an institution that relies on trust to survive.

Pinnacle didn’t give a symbolic contribution. They gave a transformative amount — the kind of support that shapes seasons, expands outreach, and keeps a nonprofit breathing. When something like that comes under scrutiny, every corner of the organization feels the tremor.

Interestingly enough, there is another lawsuit involving this theatre. Earlier this fall, they filed a lawsuit against 13 former employees who left the theatre, accusing it of being a toxic environment and dangerous.

What sits with me is how vulnerable the arts are when these situations arise. So much of theatre — especially local theatre — is built on belief. Belief that stories matter, that community spaces matter, that the work happening on and off stage is worth investing in.

When a donor steps forward with that belief and later claims the organization didn’t uphold its end of the relationship, that belief gets shaken not just for them, but for everyone watching.

And whether fair or not, people talk. They speculate. They wonder what’s true, what’s exaggerated, what’s misunderstood. They wonder who’s responsible. They wonder what happens next. While the courts sort out the legal side, the public navigates the emotional side — and that can be just as damaging.

There’s also the broader reality that large donations change the dynamic between nonprofits and their supporters. Passion and mission still matter, but they have to sit alongside accountability, reporting, and clarity. When that balance falters, the consequences shift quickly from uncomfortable conversations to formal complaints.

As for ACT and Insalaco, their full response hasn’t been shared publicly in the reporting so far. That means much of the story is still unfinished, still waiting for the other side to fill in the gaps, still unfolding. These early moments of a legal dispute are always the murkiest.

But as someone who cares about the integrity of the arts, I can’t help but think about the ripple effect that goes beyond this single theatre.

Moments like this can make donors more cautious. They can make boards more vigilant. They can make organizations rethink how they communicate, track, and steward the resources they’re given. And maybe that’s the quiet lesson underneath the headline: transparency isn’t just a legal safeguard — it’s a relationship safeguard.