“I never received a personal check,” said a former Strand employee, who worked for over a year under the Jones regime and had detailed knowledge of financial practices at the theater. “Neither did the technical director or theater director. It was all written into the contract, and we only stuck to what was written in the contract. [Checks to employees] is not the procedure. I’m not sure how legal it would be.”

Jones, reached by phone Monday, told the Banner she was too busy to talk and hung up. Subsequent calls to Lisa and her mother were not returned.

The most recent allegations follow a string of accusations by producers and service providers who complain of mismanagement at the Dorchester theater. Some complain that they are not paid on time, that prices are increased after being agreed upon or that the theater does not pay producers what they feel they are owed.

The board of directors of the non-profit McCormack Center for the Arts, which runs the Strand, chose Victoria Jones two years ago to head operations at the 85-year-old theater.

Since Jones took over, she has hired her daughter and reportedly hired two friends of the family. When queried by the Banner last month about the alleged hirings of family friends, Jones would not comment.

Months after Victoria took over in 2002, two employees who were not members or friends of the Jones family were fired. Soon thereafter, two of the six McCormack board members resigned, reportedly in protest at the firings.

The two former board members could not be reached for comment before the Banner’s press deadline.

The Strand has come under legal scrutiny recently. Its management team failed to apply for a new entertainment license in November. The old license expired with the new year, and was only recently renewed. Technically, the theater had no right to operate without a license, but the city rarely punishes entertainment providers for lapsed licenses.

Further adding to the Strand’s woes, a lawsuit was filed last month against the Strand by Tony Williams, executive director of BalletRox, the producer of the popular Urban Nutcracker, alleging that the Strand had bounced a check to him for $15,177 for this winter’s performances.

Victoria Jones admitted that the check bounced, blaming it on checks totaling $3,000 to $4,000 bounced to the Strand, and told the Banner the check had been sent February 13.

However, Williams did not receive the check until February 23, in a Priority Mail envelope that had been mailed on the 21st. The check finally cleared, nearly two months after it was due.

“But we’re still out of pocket with court fees, constable fees and attorney’s fees,” said Williams. “The lawsuit must run its course. And we need an apology to address the bad press we’ve been getting. For four or five weeks, we were pretty much paralyzed by this, paying off our debts. We are in good shape now and going to move ahead. There is a good chance we are going to go into the BCA Cyclorama Theater this coming December. It is unfortunate we are not able to go back to the Strand. It is a great theater.”

Mayor Thomas Menino said he is prepared to take action to improve management at the Strand.

“Vickie Jones and those people, they are good people, but maybe we need management help for them to help them manage the property better,” he said, reached by phone Tuesday. “Another $750,000 in the capital budget is going to the Strand this coming year, and we want to make sure it is invested wisely. The question is how do we get people involved from the downtown cultural district to try to get some of those folks involved at the Strand and help enhance activities there.”

The McCormack Center’s 25-year lease expires in June.

“I want to reconstruct that lease the best I can to keep it a community asset,” said Menino. “I envision the Strand as the Apollo of Boston.”