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| Canadian director behind slave songs controversy scraps new indigenous play | Canadian director behind slave songs controversy scraps new indigenous play |
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| Quebec director Robert Lepage has scrapped a controversial production accused of appropriating indigenous history, marking the second time this month the Canadian has come under fire for his portrayal of non-whites. | Quebec director Robert Lepage has scrapped a controversial production accused of appropriating indigenous history, marking the second time this month the Canadian has come under fire for his portrayal of non-whites. |
| Billed as an exploration of the relationship between indigenous people and Canada’s colonisers, the play Kanata was set to debut in Paris in December. | Billed as an exploration of the relationship between indigenous people and Canada’s colonisers, the play Kanata was set to debut in Paris in December. |
| In the leadup to its premier, the play, put on in collaboration with French theatre group, Théâtre du Soleil, attracted widespread criticism over its lack of indigenous involvement. | In the leadup to its premier, the play, put on in collaboration with French theatre group, Théâtre du Soleil, attracted widespread criticism over its lack of indigenous involvement. |
| On Thursday Lepage said in a statement that some of the show’s producers had withdrawn their support for the play over what he called “the infinitely complex and often aggressive controversy surrounding the show”. | On Thursday Lepage said in a statement that some of the show’s producers had withdrawn their support for the play over what he called “the infinitely complex and often aggressive controversy surrounding the show”. |
| It was now impossible to complete the play, he added. “Therefore, we are putting an end to the project.” | It was now impossible to complete the play, he added. “Therefore, we are putting an end to the project.” |
| It was the second show by the award-winning director and playwright to be cancelled this month. In early July, the Montreal International Jazz Festival called off performances of Slav, which featured a predominantly white cast dressed up as cotton pickers and field workers singing African American slave songs. The play was panned by protesters who accused Lepage of profiting off the history and pain of black people. | It was the second show by the award-winning director and playwright to be cancelled this month. In early July, the Montreal International Jazz Festival called off performances of Slav, which featured a predominantly white cast dressed up as cotton pickers and field workers singing African American slave songs. The play was panned by protesters who accused Lepage of profiting off the history and pain of black people. |
| At the time, Lepage shot back, describing the cancellation as “a blow to artistic freedom,” and citing his 40 years of working in theatre. | At the time, Lepage shot back, describing the cancellation as “a blow to artistic freedom,” and citing his 40 years of working in theatre. |
| “Since the dawn of time, theatre has been based on a very simple principle, that of playing someone else,” he said in a statement. “But when we are no longer allowed to step into someone else’s shoes, when it is forbidden to identify with someone else, theatre is denied its very nature, it is prevented from performing its primary function and is thus rendered meaningless.” | “Since the dawn of time, theatre has been based on a very simple principle, that of playing someone else,” he said in a statement. “But when we are no longer allowed to step into someone else’s shoes, when it is forbidden to identify with someone else, theatre is denied its very nature, it is prevented from performing its primary function and is thus rendered meaningless.” |
| His comments set off a wider debate in Quebec society over who has the right to tell the stories of minority groups. A handful of theatres across Quebec sided with Lepage, vowing to push forward with plans to perform Slav in early 2019. | His comments set off a wider debate in Quebec society over who has the right to tell the stories of minority groups. A handful of theatres across Quebec sided with Lepage, vowing to push forward with plans to perform Slav in early 2019. |
| Lepage soon found himself again under fire, this time over Kanata and the play’s plans to retrace 200 years of Canadian history with little indigenous input and without casting any indigenous actors. | Lepage soon found himself again under fire, this time over Kanata and the play’s plans to retrace 200 years of Canadian history with little indigenous input and without casting any indigenous actors. |
| In an open letter published in Le Devoir, some 20 indigenous artists, educators and activists took aim at an interview in which Ariane Mnouchkine, director of Théâtre du Soleil, detailed the play. | In an open letter published in Le Devoir, some 20 indigenous artists, educators and activists took aim at an interview in which Ariane Mnouchkine, director of Théâtre du Soleil, detailed the play. |
| “She likes our stories, but she does not like our voices,” the letter said, highlighting their invisibility and lack of opportunities and funding for indigenous artists in Canada. “We do not want to censor anyone … What we want is for our talents to be recognised and to be celebrated, today and in the future.” | “She likes our stories, but she does not like our voices,” the letter said, highlighting their invisibility and lack of opportunities and funding for indigenous artists in Canada. “We do not want to censor anyone … What we want is for our talents to be recognised and to be celebrated, today and in the future.” |
| Lepage and Mnouchkine responded by inviting the letter’s signatories and other indigenous representatives to a six-hour meeting. Soon after Lepage announced that the production would be cancelled but said he would like to continue the conversation. | Lepage and Mnouchkine responded by inviting the letter’s signatories and other indigenous representatives to a six-hour meeting. Soon after Lepage announced that the production would be cancelled but said he would like to continue the conversation. |
| “Beyond this troubling situation, sooner or later we will need to try to understand – calmly and together – what cultural appropriation and the right to free artistic expression fundamentally are,” he wrote. | “Beyond this troubling situation, sooner or later we will need to try to understand – calmly and together – what cultural appropriation and the right to free artistic expression fundamentally are,” he wrote. |
| While some of the signatories on the letter welcomed news that the show was being scrapped, others described it as disheartening. “We had no interest in it being cancelled,” said Abenaki filmmaker Kim O’Bomsawin. | |
| The play offered a chance to address critical issues such as the lingering legacy of residential schools and the thousands of indigenous women who have been murdered or gone missing in recent decades, she said. “I was really happy that a huge artist like Robert Lepage chose to work on a subject like this, because we need to talk about it more. But we need to do it right because these are painful issues.” | |
| Still, she hoped that this was the beginning of a broader dialogue. “My only wish is that we can collaborate and have these artistic giants addressing our issue, but with us,” she said. “We need to be part of it, from the beginning to the end, at every level of creation.” | |
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