NASHUA — Upwards of 170 comments — and growing — have flooded social media over the past 24 hours in support of Keith Weirich, whose 17 years as the artistic director of the award-winning youth theater group Peacock Players came to an abrupt, and apparently unexpected, end Monday evening.

“I am brokenhearted. Devastated,” Weirich began a lengthy social media post that promptly triggered a flood of responses from a wide range of people including the young actors’ parents, former Peacock Players now in adulthood, and others.

Weirich wrote that the group’s board of directors voted to terminate his employment Monday night.

“I was given no reason for the termination,” he wrote.

His ouster came roughly three weeks after the board suspended him over “a supposed anonymous complaint,” according to the post.

A brief email sent Tuesday morning, addressed to “our Peacock Players family” and signed “Peacock Players Board of Directors,” stated that Weirich “is no longer the artistic director of the Peacock Players,” and that “out of respect for all parties, we will not be discussing the details of this decision.”

In between, the message thanked Weirich “for his many years of service to the Peacock Players community,” and wished him “every success in his future endeavors.”

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.