Inside the tense World Cafe Live town hall

As the clock approached 6 p.m., voices murmured in the downstairs Music Hall. The acoustics from the music venue echoed eager whispers. Nearly every seat was occupied in the rows of black folding chairs that lined the floor, divided by a central aisle — red-shirted staff supporters sat to the left, and leadership, clad mostly in corporate attire, sat to the right.

Instead of a concert, community members gathered at World Cafe Live (WCL) for what turned out to be a very different type of show: a Town Hall meeting. 

On Thursday, CEO Joe Callahan and WCL leadership, including board members, hosted a public gathering to discuss the recent turmoil at WCL, a nonprofit independent music venue and restaurant located in University City. 

Facing steep financial troubles, the venue was taken over by Callahan — a tech entrepreneur who brought The Portal to Philadelphia — with plans to introduce digital innovations and attract national and international artists to boost revenue. 

However, what employees deemed a hostile work environment led to a staff walkout mid-concert in June, subsequent terminations, threatened legal action, public protests, and now, unionizing among the current staff. 

To address community concerns, WCL invited former and current employees, union leaders, artists, and local supporters to discuss the venue's state. Though meant to heal the venue’s relationships with the Philadelphia music community, the event was marked by moments of tension and pointed exchanges between opposing perspectives.

Roger LaMay, the General Manager of WXPN, was the first individual to speak. Though WXPN, the University of Pennsylvania’s public radio station, is a separate entity, it shares space with WCL and has a vested interest in the venue and fostering a healthy relationship. He started by trying to unify the two sides of the room. 

“It's clear that all of us in this room want the same thing,” said LaMay. “We want a strong, vibrant, well-run World Cafe Live to serve this community and music fans. Getting there requires significant investment, and it means evolving the business model to something more sustainable.”

Vice President of Production Grover Washington III took the microphone after. If the name sounds familiar, he is the son of Grover Washington Jr., the famous soul-jazz saxophonist. He announced the Grover Washington Jr. Protect the Dream Youth Initiative, a program that will operate at WCL and “give young students in Philadelphia and beyond the opportunity to find their voice, explore their talent, and build careers in the digital music world.” 

World Cafe Live Vice President of Operations and Production Grover Washington III speaks at a Town Hall event at the venue on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Credit: Anthony SanFilippo)

 

Tensions flared once audience members realized that the event’s livestream was not working, which was one of the commitments WCL had made for transparency and open communication. Multiple people spoke up from the crowd, interrupting Martha Snider, a WCL donor and Philadelphia philanthropist, as she was attempting to speak to Callahan’s good intentions. 

Philadelphia-based artist Renée Ray Drezner was the main voice shooting back about the livestream. Drezner was supposed to perform at WCL on June 28, but chose to cancel her show amid the protests and labor issues. 

When WCL President Gar Giles tried to move along the meeting for time purposes, he promised that she could speak next. 

“Do you know my name? Do you know who I am?” Drezner asked, since she was recently on the calendar and had corresponded with Giles. He thought her name was Rachel. 

Drezner shared that no one communicated with her about the show’s cancellation since June 18, and she never received confirmation from WCL that it was officially canceled. She also mentioned how long it took for customers to receive refunds. 

“These are really nice words, but it's time to let some other people come up here and start talking, and maybe write down their questions,” said Drezner. 

Giles responded to Drezner’s inquiries by citing that there were thousands of deleted emails, including artist contracts, which led to such communication mistakes. “In the midst of the transition, without access to much of the necessary information, we’ve been working through that process,” he said. 

President of World Cafe Live, Gar Giles, speaks at a Town Hall event at the venue on Thursday July 10, 2025. (Credit Anthony SanFilippo)

Chad Fain, WCL's new program director, supported Giles. He said that he spoke to roughly 600 booking agents and managers in an attempt to "clean up the calendar and the mess that the prior regime left." The red-shirted staff members booed this response, some shouting that this claim was not true. 

Former ticketing manager Hayley Simmons said, “If the point of this meeting is to discuss the future, I don't think it's going to be helpful for all of you to come up here and slander the previous leadership who you didn't even work with.”

More than a dozen people addressed leadership, including former and present workers, artists, and community members. Some served as positive character testimonies for the new leadership. Most, like musician Andy Molholt, advocated for the former workers. 

“The right thing to do here is to rehire the fired workers, unban them from the premises, rescind the legal action, voluntarily recognize the union, and bargain with them in good faith,” said Molholt. “Anything short of this will be unacceptable for the people that make this place function, the workers, the public, and the artists who perform here also.”

Others had more immediate criticisms. Patricia Thomas, a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and a professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, said she was not planning to speak, but felt compelled after she heard “heckling from the board” and cursing. 

Sitting in the row behind the new leadership, she called out Washington for using inappropriate words and asked for a public apology, to which he responded, “Nope!”

While most of the Town Hall was conducted to hear complaints rather than a back-and-forth dialogue, the workers shared on their Instagram account that two of their demands were confirmed. 

Ever since the terminations in mid-June, current WCL staff have taken the initiative to unionize with two organizations. The production staff joined IATSE Local 8, and the hospitality workers affiliated with UNITE HERE Local 274. Giles confirmed that they recognize the unions and agreed to voluntary collective bargaining. 

Further, Giles admitted they would not pursue additional legal action against the terminated employees, despite having previously filed formal complaints with federal authorities and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

Callahan, the CEO at the center of many of the employees’ complaints, was the last speaker to address the crowd. He reaffirmed his passion for live music and his goal to save the venue. 

World Cafe Live CEO Joe Callahan speaks during a Town Hall event at the venue on Thursday July 10, 2025. (Credit: Anthony SanFilippo)

“I am sorry for the discomfort; that things have happened,” Callahan said. “This has been difficult. It has been straining, but we keep leaning in because we know we're going to find a path.”

“We know that the strength is inside the people, and we truly do value the human capital, because human capital is what makes a difference.”

At the phrase “human capital,” the noise rose ten decibels as the employees in the audience shouted that they are people, not capital. They stood up and chanted on their march toward the exit. 

On cue, the band that had been setting up on stage banged the drums and burst into a loud song, drowning out any other sound. 

(Philly Daily Managing Editor Anthony SanFilippo contributed to this report)