By Canadian Press

Canada Council reviewing Soulpepper funding; places it under ‘concerned status’

Feb 1, 2018 | 12:45 PM

TORONTO — The Canada Council for the Arts is reviewing its funding of Toronto-based Soulpepper Theatre Company, which is facing lawsuits over sexual misconduct allegations against its founding artistic director.

In Thursday’s announcement of the council’s latest core grant recipients, Soulpepper is listed as “under review.”

Simon Brault, the council’s director and CEO, says they placed Soulpepper under “concerned status” within 24 hours of learning about the allegations against Albert Schultz early last month.

“Concerned status” is a category Canada’s public arts funder uses when an organization is in a situation that could pose a risk to any investment in it, such as bankruptcy.

“It’s quite rare but it’s not something that has been created for Soulpepper,” Brault said Thursday in a telephone interview.

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Four actresses have filed separate lawsuits against Schultz and the company, alleging he groped them, exposed himself, pressed against them, or otherwise behaved inappropriately.

None of their allegations have been tested in court and neither Schultz nor Soulpepper have filed a statement of defence. Schultz said he will “vigorously defend” himself against the allegations.

Schultz has also resigned from Soulpepper, and a production of “Amadeus” that he was slated to direct was cancelled.

Leslie Lester, who is Schultz’s wife and was Soulpepper executive director, has also left the company.

Brault said the council is now reviewing Soulpepper’s grants and evaluating if the investment it is “making in the company is helping them to achieve what they are supposed to do.”

The council is also awaiting “precise answers” to questions it posed to the theatre company. Those questions concern Soulpepper’s “organizational health,” how it dealt precisely with its policy against sexual harassment, and how honest and transparent it was during its council assessment a few months ago.

Once it has those answers, it will determine the immediate future of its funding relationship with Soulpepper.

In the past, Soulpepper has received around $185,000 a year, said Brault.

He stressed the council doesn’t have any proof of anything and isn’t “acting as a tribunal.”

“We are following a process that is quite rigorous and we don’t jump to any conclusion,” Brault said.

“Any of the conclusions we will come to, in fact, are independent from the judiciary process.”

Brault said the council needs “to be convinced that the company can carry its mandate and can provide the artists and eventually the audience with a safe, respectful and dignified environment.”

“What we saw in the allegations are serious enough that avoiding to ask those questions wouldn’t have been an option for the Canada Council,” Brault said.

Soulpepper did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press