Theatre director appalled by SLAV show cancellation
Montreal jazz fest pulled production of white cast singing Black slave songs
Quebec stage director Robert Lepage broke his silence Friday on the abrupt cancellation of his controversial show SLAV, calling it a direct attack on artistic freedom.
The Montreal International Jazz Festival cancelled the show Wednesday amid heavy criticism it amounted to cultural appropriation because it featured a white woman and largely white cast singing songs composed by Black slaves.
In a statement through his production company Ex Machina, Lepage said he would leave it to others to debate the issue of cultural appropriation, which he called “an extremely complicated problem” he could not pretend to be able to solve.
But the award-winning playwright, who has 40 years under his belt in theatre, said he is well-placed to speak about it from an artistic standpoint.
“To me, what is most appalling is the intolerant discourse heard both on the street and in some media,” Lepage said. “Everything that led to this cancellation is a direct blow to artistic freedom.”
Lepage said theatre is based on the principle of someone playing someone else or pretending to be someone else.
“Stepping into the shoes of another person to try to understand them, and in the process, perhaps understand ourselves, better,” he said. “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.”
SLAV, one of the hottest tickets at this year’s jazz festival, was the subject of protests from its debut and was called out for appropriation of Black culture and history.