MacDonald says Soulpepper rejected her concerns over actress auction
TORONTO — Acclaimed writer Ann-Marie MacDonald says leaders at the Soulpepper Theatre Company “bullied and harassed” her after she raised concerns about a fundraiser that auctioned dinners with a cast of actresses.
Without their knowledge, the women who starred in “Top Girls,” were “sold” to the highest bidder by Soulpepper organizers under the guise they were willing participants, MacDonald alleged in an interview Friday.
It led the author of 1996 novel “Fall on Your Knees” and former host of CBC’s “Doc Zone” series to raise the issue first with the theatre company and then with her union.
“I was outraged, personally, and on behalf of my colleagues,” she said while recounting the incident, which happened nearly a decade ago.