Days after a Quebec director faced criticism for the second time in a month over one of his shows being racially insensitive, Robert Lepage offered to meet with his critics.
About 30 people signed an open letter in Le Devoir on Saturday to denounce Lepage for not including Indigenous performers in his upcoming show "Kanata."
The show, which claims to explore Canada's history through the lens of the relationship between white and Aboriginal people, will be performed in Paris by a French acting group in December.
The letter's signatories noted that while Indigenous people were consulted during the show's creation, the performance will not include any North American actors.
They added that their goal isn't to censor anyone, but rather to call for the talents of Indigenous artists to be recognized.
The letter is signed by about 20 Indigenous artists and activists as well as a dozen or so non-Indigenous "allies," that include lawyers, artists and academics.
Native Women's Shelter of Montreal Executive Director Nakuset was among the signatories. She said the play could have presented a chance to showcase some of the artistic talent in the Quebec Native community.
"There would be a lineup of Indigenous actors that would want to be in it, there would be so many people," she said. "There's so much talent that is Indigenous that speaks French, like the Inou community. There are a lot of Indigenous people that could do it and they should give us a chance."
On Sunday, Lepage offered to meet with members of the SLAV Resistance Coalition. The group formed in opposition to Lepage's show SLAV, which debuted at the Montreal Jazz Festival and featured a primarily white cast singing black slave songs. The festival cancelled the show after just a few performances due to the outcry but it's set to be performed in several Quebec cities in 2019.
- With files from The Canadian Press
