A taxpayer-funded theater organization appears to have backed off its idea of holding an “all-black identifying audience” event next month.
On Jan. 16, the National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa announced that it planned to hold a “Black Out night” event featuring a rendition of Aleshea Harris’s “Is God Is” on Feb. 17, but which appeared to forbid non-black audiences from attending.
The issue was highlighted by Jonathan Kay, editor of the online magazine Quillette, who shared a screenshot of the first two paragraphs of the original announcement via his Twitter account on Jan. 23.
“On February 17, the evening’s performance of Is God Is will welcome an all-Black identifying audience to experience and enjoy a performance in the Babs Asper Theatre. Tickets for this performance are available now,” said the NAC on its official site at the time.
The organization came under fire following that announcement.
Among those who criticized the NAC include the Ontario chapter of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR), an organization that advocates civil rights and liberties for Canadians.
“We strenuously object to the taxpayer-funded National Arts Centre reinvigorating segregation in theater through the inauguration of ‘Black Out’ performances,” said FAIR in a statement, shared by Kay on Jan. 28.
“Respectful sharing of culture and perspective can strengthen our democracy and lead to a stronger social fabric for all of us. Government-funded segregation does the opposite.”
Wordings Changed
The Epoch Times contacted the NAC for comment previously but didn’t receive a reply by publication time.In the early morning of Jan. 30, the NAC changed the wording of the “Black Out Night” event, according to records found in internet archives.
The Feb. 17 performance is now being promoted as an event that “will welcome Black audiences.”
Hours after the site update, the NAC posted a series of tweets saying it is “committed to creating a welcoming experience of the performing arts for all Canadians.”
“From February 9–18, the NAC will present 9 performances of Is God Is, including one on February 17, designated as a Black Out Night,” the organization said.
“Everyone is welcome at all shows of the NAC, including for that evening: no one will be turned away.”
“Black Out night” is a concept birthed by U.S. playwright Jeremy O. Harris in 2019 in which an “all-Black-identifying audience can experience and discuss an event in the performing arts, film, athletic, and cultural spaces—free from the white gaze.”
“Is God Is” features depictions of violence, death, and murder, and references to domestic violence, familial and generational abuse, and suicide, among other issues, according to NAC.
Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.
