In response to an article about uncertainties surrounding a fledgling arts festival, the event's organizer accused The Tribeca Trib of racism in its handling of the story.

"You are a racist of the worst kind," Dale Evans, the director of the Tribeca Arts Festival, who is black, wrote to this reporter in an e-mail signed "Tribeca Arts Festival." "You think that black people don't have money to produce an event like this?"

Evans, a self-described street artist, former web designer and ex-actor with an office at 349 Broadway in Tribeca, promoted the festival to prospective participants as a multi-venue performance extravaganza. The festival, originally scheduled for 17 days this month, was to include plays, poetry, dance, fashion shows, art exhibits, gala dinners and awards ceremonies.

Many of the participants, who were charged a $100 registration fee for each person in their group, were promised free air fare, accommodations and performance fees. Most dropped out last month after Evans postponed the December plans. As the Trib went to press, at least one had received a $100 refund. Others were awaiting as much as $2,500.

"A Jewish man who is so biased as to approach a subject with an agenda already decided," Evans said of this reporter. "You wouldn't have drawn those conclusions from a white person with the same info."

In an earlier email, Evans complained that the Trib did not cover the donation of art supplies to a Bronx parent help group. Part of his stated mission is to foster the arts among children.

Despite the festival's name, there appear to be no events taking place in Tribeca. Evans's latest plans for his festival, as described on the festival web site, call for "TV previews, commercials and programs" because the festival had "grown past the limitations of doing traditional live events…" He wrote that television would allow him to reach "millions of people" but it remained unclear how he would broadcast the performances. He did not respond to phone and email messages left for him.

The Trib and Downtown Express published articles that called into question Evans's ability to follow through on his elaborate promises to participants. Since those articles appeared, former participants wanting to get their money back have received cancellation agreement forms that threaten not to return their money as well as court action if "any public comments…are given to any members of the media, who's [sic] actions cause any manner of financial damage or injury to the image" of the festival.

Fearing they would not get a refund, some of those former prospective participants said they now were reluctant to speak to a reporter on the record. But Josie Walsh, director of the Los Angeles-based Myo Dance Company, who sent $2,500 to Evans, said she informed the promoter that she would not sign the agreement and instead will send him an agreement of her own, drafted by a lawyer.

"The press uncovered that there were no venues as promised and nothing was put in place," Walsh said. "Now he's angry and threatening the dance companies."

According to Evans's web site, the festival now seems mostly to attract models. Twenty-five are listed as participants in what are described as "festival promotional tv ads" for festival fashion shows that would coincide with New York's Fashion Week in February.

But the names of most of the participants who were once listed on the site are no longer there. At press time, only two playwrights, still hoping to see their works performed in New York, remained. One of them, Pam Calabrese of Nova Scotia, said she was doubtful.

"I feel like I'd have to be stupid three ways from Sunday to think that it will happen," she said. "But for 100 bucks I'm willing to take the chance."