No promises to change ‘Kanata’ after Robert Lepage meets with show’s opponents
MONTREAL — A meeting between Quebec director Robert Lepage and a group of activists who are concerned with a lack of Indigenous representation in his upcoming stage show ended without a concrete promise to change the cast, according to several people who attended.
Lepage and Paris theatre director Ariane Mnouchkine met for nearly six hours with more than 30 members of the Indigenous community who had signed an open letter in Le Devoir last week denouncing the production “Kanata,” which will be performed in Paris by a French acting group in December.
According to a description on the theatre’s website, “Kanata” will explore Canada’s history “through the lens of the relationship between white and Aboriginal Peoples,” but won’t feature any Indigenous actors.
Nakuset, the executive director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, said the nearly six-hour meeting ended without a commitment from Lepage to revisit the show’s casting.