Kanata, a stage show that has been criticized for lack of Indigenous representation, has been cancelled after several co-producers withdrew their interest in the project.
In a press release, production company Ex Machina says the pull-outs were in response to “the infinitely complex and often aggressive controversy surrounding the show.”
READ MORE: Indigenous artists criticize SLAV director Lepage for new show ‘Kanata’
“Considering what we recently went through, we certainly understand their concerns, but without their financial support, we are unable to finish creating Kanata with Théâtre du Soleil,” it said in a press release.
“Therefore, we are putting an end to the project.”
This decision comes after a meeting between Quebec director Robert Lepage and a group of activists who expressed concern about the lack of Indigenous representation in the production.
READ MORE: No promises to change Kanata after Robert Lepage meets with show’s opponents
Lepage and Paris theatre director Ariane Mnouchkine met for nearly six hours with more than 30 members of the Indigenous community who signed an open letter in Le Devoir denouncing the production, which was to be performed in Paris by a French acting group in December.
READ MORE: All SLĀV performances cancelled by Montreal Jazz Fest following controversy
“The participants of the meeting were very open and we felt that many of our exchanges were productive,” Ex Machina said, adding that neither Ex Machina nor Robert Lepage will be speaking further about the show’s cancellation.
“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.”
According to a description on the theatre’s website, the play was to explore Canada’s history “through the lens of the relationship between white and Aboriginal Peoples.”
WATCH BELOW: Protest against Jazz Festival show of songs by black slaves
It did not feature any Indigenous actors.
“They feel any actor can portray any race, they don’t have to be from that race.”
She said failing to hire Indigenous actors and musicians is a disservice to both the Indigenous community and the people who attend the show, who will be denied an authentic experience.
“Had they hired at least one Indigenous actor, that would have been my success. I didn’t walk away with that,” she said.
READ MORE: Robert Lepage says decision to cancel SLAV show ‘direct blow to artistic freedom’
Earlier this month, The Montreal International Jazz Festival cancelled all performances of Lepage’s controversial show SLĀV: a theatrical odyssey based on slave songs, following protests against the controversial production, which incorporated songs composed by slaves.
READ MORE: Montreal group opposing controversial slave show calls for discussion, diversity
Protesters argued Lepage was profiting off the history, culture and pain of black people.
The company said it plans to meet with members of the group opposed to the SLĀV production in the fall.
— with files from The Canadian Press.
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