{"id":724,"date":"2019-06-18T15:24:09","date_gmt":"2019-06-18T15:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/?p=724"},"modified":"2022-02-06T19:56:45","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T19:56:45","slug":"when-lepage-and-mnouchkine-collide-with-cultural-appropriation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/when-lepage-and-mnouchkine-collide-with-cultural-appropriation\/","title":{"rendered":"When Lepage and Mnouchkine Collide with Cultural Appropriation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Michel Va\u00efs<\/strong><a name=\"back\" href=\"#end\">*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>NOTE I :<\/strong> <font color=\"#0FBE7C\">Une version fran\u00e7aise de cet article suit.<\/font> <\/p><p><strong>Abstract:<\/strong> Two shows mounted by Robert Lepage were cancelled during the summer of 2018, after they were denounced as \u201ccultural appropriation,\u201d mainly by Black people for <em>SL\u00c3V<\/em>, then by First Nations demonstrators for <em>Kanata<\/em>. The first play was withdrawn from the programming of the Montreal Jazz Festival after three performances, at the beginning of June, and <em>Kanata<\/em>, after it had been cancelled by Lepage, was finally reprogrammed by Ariane Mnouchkine in a shorter version, at the Cartoucherie in Paris, starting mid-December 2018.<\/p><p><strong>Keywords: <\/strong>Cultural appropriation, SL\u00c3V, Kanata, Lepage, Mnouchkine<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last\nsummer, in Montreal, two shows, staged by the internationally acclaimed\ndirector Robert Lepage, caused a clash between two groups: major artists on one\nside, representatives of minority groups on the other side. This resulted in\nunprecedented demonstrations and accusations of \u201ccultural appropriation,\u201d first\nagainst Robert Lepage and later against Ariane Mnouchkine. (Mnouchkine and\nLepage are the two youngest laureates of the Europe Prize, in 1987 and 2007.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lepage&#8217;s\ntwo shows are&nbsp;<em>SL\u00c3V<\/em>, which uses the songs of Black slaves, and&nbsp;<em>Kanata<\/em>,\nwhich tells the history of Canada from the point of view of people of the First\nNations (or Indians, as most of them call themselves).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-1\">Video 1<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6nhRdpWJTjw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><br><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\nfirst show, <em>SL\u00c3V<\/em>, was\nclosed down after only three performances at the Montreal Jazz Festival, at the\nend of June 2018, because of violent demonstrations in front of the theatre,\nmainly from Black people, saying there were not enough Black artists on the\nstage. The expression \u201ccultural appropriation\u201d then appeared, to denounce the\nfact that the culture of Black people was being used by mainly white people.\nThe protesters, most of whom had not seen the show, shouted at the spectators\nthat they were racist or white supremacists. Although Robert Lepage had\nconsulted Black historians and artists, he included only two Black female\nsingers out of six in his show. To the demonstrators, this appeared as a\nmistake: you cannot show Black slaves singing about survival in the cotton\nfields if the singers are not Black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\nmust be said, however, that the show&#8217;s main actress, Betty Bonifassi, is a\nFrench singer whose ancestors were Serbian. She wanted to present an image of\nslavery not only in the American cotton fields, but everywhere. She reminded us\nthat the word \u201cslave\u201d originally refers to people in Slavonic countries, like\nSerbia. Furthermore, Bonifassi has been singing those songs of the cotton-field\nslaves for many years now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">* *\n*<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\nsecond show, <em>Kanata<\/em>, opened in Paris\nat Ariane Mnouchkine&#8217;s Cartoucherie, in December 2018. When it was announced in\nMontreal, in July 2018, just after <em>SL\u0100V <\/em>was\ncancelled, it created a second uproar around Robert Lepage! I should mention\nthat while this was happening, Lepage was about to finish staging <em>The Magic Flute<\/em> for the Quebec City\nOpera Festival, and his staging of Shakespeare\u2019s <em>Coriolanus<\/em> was playing in Canada\u2019s Stratford Festival (with a Black\nactor playing the title role).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However,\nas a result of the uproar in the First Nations community of Quebec, accusing\nLepage, as had the Black demonstrators, of &#8220;cultural appropriation,\u201d\nLepage and Mnouchkine (who came to Montreal especially from Paris for one day)\nmet with some 30 artists from the First Nations community. Finally, Lepage\nannounced on July 26 that&nbsp;the Montreal production of <em>Kanata<\/em>, on which he had been working for 4\nyears with the actors of Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil, was cancelled, because a major\nco-producer from New York had decided to withdraw his participation in view of\nthe demonstrations in Montreal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-2\">Video 2<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CyG2zEbu-X4?rel=0\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px\"><\/iframe><br><br><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later,\nafter intense discussions about the freedom of expression of artists and the\nright of Black and First Nations artists to be more visible on stage, Ariane\nMnouchkine announced on September 5 that <em>Kanata<\/em> would be shown from December 15\nduring the Autumn Festival, at the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil, in Paris. The new title\nof the play is now: <em>Kanata \u2013 Episode 1 \u2013 The Controversy<\/em>. It was also announced that director Robert Lepage will\ncomplete his work as director, as was originally planned, but that he accepted\nto do this as a volunteer, without being paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\nissue here is whether artists can play the roles of characters identified with\ngroups to which they do not belong. Must the actress playing Anne Frank on\nstage be Jewish? Are only Jews allowed to denounce the Holocaust? Wouldn\u2019t it\nbe strange if Italians alone were allowed to talk about the mafia? As one\nwriter said, \u201cHistory does not belong only to the victims.\u201d These questions\nseem absurd, but the participation of actors from minority groups in theatre\nactivity is a very serious one. There is a call for more diversity in Quebec\ntheatre, as in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot\nof intellectuals and some leading artists wrote letters to the media to condemn\nwhat appeared as pure censorship by a group of activists who don\u2019t know how\ntheatre works. For the first time in the 50-year history of the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du\nSoleil, a director other than its founder, Ariane Mnouchkine, had been invited\nto create a show with the whole ensemble of the company (that is, 34 actors of\nover 30 nationalities). Lepage had already created many shows with actors from\ndifferent countries, languages, origins &#8230; For their part, the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du\nSoleil had created shows set in Mongolia, Cambodia, India, ancient Greece, or\npresenting Asian and African migrants lost at sea. All this time, there were no\nactors belonging to these communities in the shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I personally\nthink that theatre is a symbolic construction which cannot alone solve problems\nof insufficient diversity on stage or in the rest of society. Of course, we are\nall in favour of encouraging minority groups to have access to the theatre\u2014not\nonly foreigners, people of colour, First Nations, migrants, but also women,\nLGBTQ+, handicapped persons\u2014but which authority will be able to say when this\nis enough? Lepage and Mnouchkine had consulted Indian historians, who told them\nthat they should include First Nations actors in <em>Kanata<\/em>. But how many? If they replaced,\nsay, 10 actors out of 34 in the company by Indians, who is to say this is\nenough? What percentage would be acceptable? And how would they integrate with\nthe ensemble of Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil, which has been working together for years\nand years? The\nAmerican way of painting us as pure-bred Black or White persons is just creating\ncaricatures. Rather, as genetic analysis now teaches us, most of us are\ntranscultural mixtures of humanity. In Quebec, we say that everyone has some\n\u201cIndian blood.\u201d This is not my case: as one who is Tunisian born\u2014as were my\nparents and grandparents\u2014am I allowed to talk about Africans? Does living in\nQuebec for the past 60 years entitle me to talk about the Quebecois people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"262\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/image1-4.jpeg?resize=700%2C262&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/image1-4.jpeg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/image1-4.jpeg?resize=300%2C112&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil\u2019s Cartoucherie (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatre-du-soleil.fr\/fr\/\" target=\"_blank\">Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil\u2019s Cartoucherie<\/a>, where <em>Kanata<\/em> was presented in December 2018. Photo: from the webpage of the theatre <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When\nshe came to Montreal, Mnouchkine invited Quebec Indian artists to organize a\ntheatre festival at Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil every second year. This did not seem to\nbe enough to satisfy them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In some\nrespects, this story may look ridiculous to some of you, because you know that\ntheatre is an art of transformation, of crossing languages and social barriers,\nof communicating realities which are not here, of sharing experiences. However,\nthe question of having real Indians on stage to talk about Indians is far from\nsimple. The Canada Council has just created new funding programmes especially\nfor First Nations artists, to encourage vocations among them. I must also say\nthat no public funding body in Quebec or in Canada accepted to support <em>Kanata<\/em> 4\nyears ago, because of a lack of involvement of artists from the First Nations \u2026\nFirst Nations artists don\u2019t merely want to be consulted. They want to be there,\non stage, as part of the creative process, and \u201ccelebrated,\u201d as some of them\nwrote. They say that public money should not go to artists who steal their\nstories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the\nother hand, isn\u2019t this imposing a straightjacket on the artists? Should white\nartists be punished because they are interested in the fate of Black slaves and\nwant to denounce racism? Should they be prevented from telling the history of\nCanada from the point of view of First Nations? No one is only Black, or white.\nEvery artist is a complex construction, not limited by skin colour. And, as\nMnouchkine said, the history of humanity belongs to everyone. There can be no\n\u201ccultural appropriation\u201d because culture is not a physical or intellectual\nproperty: it doesn\u2019t belong to any specific group. No culture is pure and\nexempt from the influence of other cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\nprotesters against <em>SL\u0100V<\/em> and <em>Kanata<\/em> also said that they should not be\nheld responsible for the fact that the shows were cancelled. It\u2019s the producers\nwho cancelled them, for fear of the demonstrations. Some protesters said that\nthey are not in favour of censorship, but that they wanted to take the\nopportunity of two major shows by powerful artists in major venues to assert\nthat they exist!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a\ntheatre critic, I think that plays must be presented even with what appears to\nsome people as being flaws, and then, everybody will be able to criticize them,\npraise or denounce the chosen perspective. In spite of what the protesters say,\nI believe that any prior demonstration which would result in the show being\ncancelled is pure censorship and should be condemned. We cannot accept the\ntyranny of minorities in the name of political correctness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><strong>NOTE II:<\/strong> The paper was originally presented on 14 November 2018, in St Petersburg, at a conference organized within the framework of the 29th IATC Congress, under the general title <i>Performing Arts Today: Freedom and (In)tolerance<\/i>.<\/p><a name=\"end\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/Vais.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-727\" alignnone=\"\">\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end\" href=\"#back\">*<\/a><strong>Michel Va\u00efs <\/strong>was born in Tunisia, but he is living in Montreal (Quebec, Canada) since the age of 12.&nbsp;He&nbsp;became an actor at 17, in an avant-garde theatre company, then a director and a playwright, before getting degrees in three universities and teaching for 12 years. He received his Bachelor from Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Master of Arts from McGill University, and Doctorate in Theatre Studies from Universit\u00e9 de Paris 8. He then became a broadcaster for Cha\u00eene culturelle de Radio-Canada and is editor at Revue de th\u00e9\u00e2tre<em> Jeu<\/em> since its foundation in 1976 (and now senior editor). He presided the Quebec Association of Theatre Critics and joined the International Association of Theatre Critics in 1992. He became treasurer, then vice-president, and, since 1998, he is Secretary General of the IATC, serving with four presidents. He is also the French language editor for the IATC journal <em>Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em>.<em><br> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-heading\" id=\"lorsque-lepage-et-mnouchkine-se-heurtent-a-l-appropriation-culturelle\"><strong>Lorsque Lepage et Mnouchkine se heurtent \u00e0 l\u2019appropriation culturelle&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Michel Va\u00efs<\/strong><a href=\"#end\" name=\"back\">*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>R\u00e9sum\u00e9&nbsp;: <\/strong>Deux spectacles mis en sc\u00e8ne par Robert Lepage ont \u00e9t\u00e9 annul\u00e9s au cours de l\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9 2018 \u00e0 la suite de d\u00e9nonciations d\u2019\u00ab&nbsp;appropriation culturelle&nbsp;\u00bb, principalement par des Noirs, pour <em>SL\u0100V<\/em>, puis par des Autochtones, pour <em>Kanata<\/em>. La premi\u00e8re pi\u00e8ce a \u00e9t\u00e9 retir\u00e9e de la programmation du Festival de jazz de Montr\u00e9al apr\u00e8s trois repr\u00e9sentations, d\u00e9but juin, et <em>Kanata<\/em>, apr\u00e8s avoir \u00e9t\u00e9 annul\u00e9 par Lepage, a \u00e9t\u00e9 remis \u00e0 l\u2019affiche par Ariane Mnouchkine dans une version amput\u00e9e, \u00e0 la Cartoucherie de Paris, \u00e0 partir de la mi-d\u00e9cembre 2018.<\/p><p><strong>Mots-cl\u00e9s<\/strong>: Appropriation culturelle, SL\u0100V, Kanata, Lepage, Mnouchkine<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">L\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9\ndernier \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al deux spectacles mont\u00e9s par le metteur en sc\u00e8ne r\u00e9put\u00e9 Robert\nLepage ont caus\u00e9 des frictions importantes entre deux groupes, d\u2019une part des\nartistes bien connus, et d\u2019autre part des repr\u00e9sentants de groupes\nminoritaires. Tout cela a r\u00e9sult\u00e9 dans des manifestations sans pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent et des\naccusations d\u2019\u00ab&nbsp;appropriation culturelle&nbsp;\u00bb, contre Robert Lepage\nd\u2019abord, et plus tard contre Ariane Mnouchkine. (Je rappelle que Mnouchkine et\nLepage sont les deux plus jeunes laur\u00e9ats du prix Europe, en 1987 et en 2007.)\nLes deux spectacles sont <em>SL\u0100V<\/em>,\n\u00e9crit \u00e0 partir de chants d\u2019esclaves noirs, et <em>Kanata<\/em>, qui raconte l\u2019histoire du Canada \u00e0\npartir du point de vue des gens des Premi\u00e8res Nations (ou les Indiens, comme la\nplupart d\u2019entre eux se nomment).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/image2-3.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/image2-3.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/image2-3.jpeg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><figcaption>Robert Lepage. Photo : Wikipedia<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Le\npremier spectacle, <em>SL\u0100V<\/em>, a\n\u00e9t\u00e9 annul\u00e9 apr\u00e8s seulement trois repr\u00e9sentations au Festival de jazz de\nMontr\u00e9al \u00e0 la fin de juin, \u00e0 cause de manifestations violentes venant surtout\nde personnes noires devant le th\u00e9\u00e2tre, disant qu\u2019il n\u2019y avait pas assez\nd\u2019artistes noirs sur la sc\u00e8ne. L\u2019expression \u00ab&nbsp;appropriation\nculturelle&nbsp;\u00bb est alors apparue, pour d\u00e9noncer le fait que la culture des personnes\nnoires \u00e9tait utilis\u00e9e principalement par des Blancs. Les manifestants, dont la\nplupart n\u2019avaient pas vu le spectacle, criaient aux spectateurs qu\u2019ils \u00e9taient\ndes racistes ou des <em>supr\u00e9macistes<\/em>\nblancs. M\u00eame si Robert Lepage avait consult\u00e9 des historiens et des artistes\nnoirs, il n\u2019avait engag\u00e9 que deux chanteuses noires sur six dans son spectacle.\nPour les manifestants, cela est apparu comme une faute : on ne peut pas montrer\ndes esclaves noirs chantant, pour survivre, dans les champs de coton, si les\nchanteurs ne sont pas noirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Il faut dire, cependant, que la\ncom\u00e9dienne principale, Betty Bonifassi, est une chanteuse fran\u00e7aise dont les\nanc\u00eatres \u00e9taient serbes, aussi elle voulait montrer une image de l\u2019esclavage\npas seulement dans les champs de coton am\u00e9ricains, mais partout. D\u2019ailleurs,\nelle a rappel\u00e9 que le mot \u00ab&nbsp;esclave&nbsp;\u00bb fait r\u00e9f\u00e9rence \u00e0 l\u2019origine aux\ngens des pays slaves, comme la Serbie\u2026 En outre, Bonifassi avait dans son\nr\u00e9pertoire ces chants d\u2019esclaves du coton depuis plusieurs ann\u00e9es.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-3\">Video 3<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter aligncenter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div style=\"width:100%\" align=\"center\" class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper aligncenter\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"fr\" dir=\"ltr\">Annulation de <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SLAV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SLAV<\/a> : Robert Lepage brise le silence. Il d\u00e9nonce ce qu&#39;il qualifie de \u00ab discours d&#39;intol\u00e9rance \u00bb<br><br>Discussion avec le professeur de philosophie <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jocelynmaclure?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@jocelynmaclure<\/a> de l&#39;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/universitelaval?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@universitelaval<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SebBovetSRC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SebBovetSRC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RDI2460?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#RDI2460<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dExJ3x7ja3\">pic.twitter.com\/dExJ3x7ja3<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Radio-Canada Info (@RadioCanadaInfo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RadioCanadaInfo\/status\/1015384084791504896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 6, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Le second spectacle, <em>Kanata<\/em>, doit d\u00e9buter \u00e0 Paris, \u00e0 la Cartoucherie d\u2019Ariane Mnouchkine en d\u00e9cembre 2018. Lorsqu\u2019il a \u00e9t\u00e9 annonc\u00e9 \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al, en juillet, juste apr\u00e8s l\u2019annulation de <em>SL\u0100V<\/em>, cela a caus\u00e9 un deuxi\u00e8me tumulte autour de Robert Lepage&nbsp;! Je dois pr\u00e9ciser que, pendant toute cette p\u00e9riode, Lepage \u00e9tait en train de terminer sa mise en sc\u00e8ne de <em>La Fl\u00fbte enchant\u00e9e<\/em> pour le Festival d\u2019op\u00e9ra de la Ville de Qu\u00e9bec, et que la pi\u00e8ce de Shakespeare, <em>Coriolan<\/em>, qu\u2019il avait mont\u00e9e, \u00e9tait \u00e0 l\u2019affiche du Festival de Stratford au Canada, avec un acteur noir dans le r\u00f4le-titre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cependant, \u00e0 cause des r\u00e9actions tr\u00e8s\nvives dans la communaut\u00e9 des Premi\u00e8res Nations du Qu\u00e9bec, accusant Lepage\n\u2013&nbsp;comme l\u2019avaient fait les Noirs&nbsp;\u2013 d\u2019\u00ab&nbsp;appropriation\nculturelle&nbsp;\u00bb, Lepage et Mnouchkine (qui est venue sp\u00e9cialement \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al\npour une journ\u00e9e) ont rencontr\u00e9 une trentaine d\u2019artistes de la communaut\u00e9 des\nPremi\u00e8res Nations. Et en d\u00e9finitive, Lepage a annonc\u00e9 le 26 juillet que <em>Kanata<\/em>, spectacle sur lequel il\ntravaillait depuis 4 ans avec les artistes du Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil, serait annul\u00e9\nparce qu\u2019un coproducteur important de New York avait d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de se retirer \u00e0\ncause des manifestations \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al, longtemps avant que le spectacle ne soit\nm\u00eame pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 l\u00e0-bas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-4\">Video 4<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Zzzb2nyNuxw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure><br>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plus tard, apr\u00e8s d\u2019intenses\ndiscussions sur la libert\u00e9 d\u2019expression des artistes et sur le droit des\nartistes noirs et des Premi\u00e8res Nations d\u2019\u00eatre plus visibles au th\u00e9\u00e2tre, Ariane\nMnouchkine a annonc\u00e9 le 5 septembre que <em>Kanata<\/em> serait bel et bien pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 \u00e0\nParis par le Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil, \u00e0 partir du 15 d\u00e9cembre, pendant le Festival\nd\u2019Automne. Le spectacle a un nouveau titre&nbsp;: <em>Kanata \u2013 1<\/em><em><sup>er<\/sup><\/em><em> \u00c9pisode \u2013 La Controverse<\/em>. On a aussi annonc\u00e9 que le\nmetteur en sc\u00e8ne Robert Lepage terminerait son travail tel que pr\u00e9vu \u00e0\nl\u2019origine, mais qu\u2019il acceptait de le faire b\u00e9n\u00e9volement, sans \u00eatre pay\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">L\u2019enjeu ici est de savoir si des\nartistes peuvent jouer des r\u00f4les de personnages identifi\u00e9s \u00e0 des groupes\nauxquels ils n\u2019appartiennent pas. Est-ce que la com\u00e9dienne qui joue Anne Franck\nsur sc\u00e8ne doit \u00eatre juive&nbsp;? Est-ce que seuls les juifs ont le droit de\nd\u00e9noncer l\u2019Holocauste&nbsp;? Ne serait-il pas \u00e9trange que seuls des Italiens\npuissent parler de la mafia&nbsp;? Comme l\u2019a \u00e9crit un \u00e9crivain&nbsp;:\n\u00ab&nbsp;L\u2019histoire n\u2019appartient pas seulement aux victimes.&nbsp;\u00bb De telles\nquestions paraissent absurdes, mais la participation de com\u00e9diens de groupes\nminoritaires dans l\u2019activit\u00e9 th\u00e9\u00e2trale est une affaire s\u00e9rieuse. Il s\u2019agit d\u2019un\nappel \u00e0 plus de diversit\u00e9 dans le th\u00e9\u00e2tre au Qu\u00e9bec, comme dans la vraie vie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">De nombreux intellectuels et quelques\nartistes importants ont \u00e9crit des lettres aux m\u00e9dias pour condamner ce qui est\napparu comme une censure pure et simple, par un groupe de militants qui ne\nsavent pas comment fonctionne le th\u00e9\u00e2tre. Pour la premi\u00e8re fois dans l\u2019histoire\ndu Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil, qui remonte \u00e0 50 ans, un autre metteur en sc\u00e8ne que sa\ndirectrice fondatrice Ariane Mnouchkine a \u00e9t\u00e9 invit\u00e9 \u00e0 cr\u00e9er un spectacle, avec\nl\u2019ensemble de la troupe (soit 34 acteurs). Lepage avait d\u00e9j\u00e0 cr\u00e9\u00e9 plusieurs\nspectacles avec des com\u00e9diens originaires de divers pays et parlant plusieurs\nlangues. Et de son c\u00f4t\u00e9, le Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil avait cr\u00e9\u00e9 des spectacles se\npassant en Mongolie, au Cambodge, en Inde, dans la Gr\u00e8ce ancienne, ou montrant\ndes migrants asiatiques et africains perdus en mer. Tout cela, sans le moindre\nacteur appartenant \u00e0 ces communaut\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-5\">Video 5<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lepage au Soleil: \u00e0 l\u2019origine de Kanata - Un film de H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Choquette - Bande-annonce officielle\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/320809875?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"750\" height=\"422\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure><br>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Personnellement, j\u2019estime que le\nth\u00e9\u00e2tre est une construction symbolique qui ne peut pas, seule, r\u00e9soudre les\nprobl\u00e8mes de diversit\u00e9 insuffisante sur sc\u00e8ne ou dans le reste de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9.\nBien s\u00fbr, nous sommes tous d\u2019accord pour favoriser aux groupes minoritaires\nl\u2019acc\u00e8s au th\u00e9\u00e2tre&nbsp;: les \u00e9trangers, les Noirs, les gens des Premi\u00e8res\nNations, les migrants, mais aussi les femmes, les LGBTQ+, les handicap\u00e9s\u2026 mais\nquelle autorit\u00e9 pourra dire que c\u2019est suffisant&nbsp;? Lepage et Mnouchkine\navaient consult\u00e9 des historiens am\u00e9rindiens, qui leur avaient dit d\u2019inclure des\ncom\u00e9diens des Premi\u00e8res Nations dans <em>Kanata<\/em>. Mais combien&nbsp;? S\u2019ils\navaient remplac\u00e9, disons, 10 acteurs sur les 34 de la troupe par des Indiens,\nqui pourra affirmer que c\u2019est suffisant&nbsp;? Quel pourcentage serait\nacceptable&nbsp;? Et comment auraient-ils pu les int\u00e9grer \u00e0 la troupe du\nTh\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil, dont les membres travaillent ensemble depuis de nombreuses\nann\u00e9es&nbsp;? La mani\u00e8re am\u00e9ricaine de nous\nd\u00e9peindre comme des Blancs ou des Noirs pure race n\u2019est qu\u2019une caricature.\nComme nous l\u2019enseigne maintenant l\u2019analyse g\u00e9n\u00e9tique, la plupart d\u2019entre nous\nsont plut\u00f4t des m\u00e9langes transculturels d\u2019humanit\u00e9. On dit qu\u2019au Qu\u00e9bec, tout\nle monde a \u00ab&nbsp;du sang indien&nbsp;\u00bb\u2026 Ce n\u2019est pas mon cas&nbsp;: en tant\nque Tunisien de naissance \u2013&nbsp;comme le furent mes parents et\ngrands-parents&nbsp;\u2013, ai-je le droit de parler des Africains&nbsp;? Et le fait\nque je vive au Qu\u00e9bec depuis 60 ans m\u2019autorise-t-il \u00e0 parler des\nQu\u00e9b\u00e9cois&nbsp;? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lorsqu\u2019elle est venue \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al,\nMnouchkine a invit\u00e9 des artistes autochtones qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois \u00e0 organiser un festival\nau Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Soleil tous les deux ans. Cela n\u2019a pas sembl\u00e9 les satisfaire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Par certains aspects, cette histoire\npeut para\u00eetre ridicule pour vous, parce que vous savez que le th\u00e9\u00e2tre est un\nart de transformation, o\u00f9 l\u2019on franchit les langues et les barri\u00e8res sociales,\nun art o\u00f9 l\u2019on \u00e9voque des r\u00e9alit\u00e9s qui ne sont pas l\u00e0, o\u00f9 l\u2019on partage des\nexp\u00e9riences. Cependant, la question de voir de vrais Autochtones sur sc\u00e8ne pour\ntraiter des Autochtones est loin d\u2019\u00eatre simple. Le Conseil des Arts du Canada\nvient de cr\u00e9er de nouveaux programmes de subventions s\u2019adressant sp\u00e9cialement\naux artistes des Premi\u00e8res Nations, pour encourager des vocations parmi eux. Je\ndois pr\u00e9ciser qu\u2019AUCUN organisme subventionnaire au Qu\u00e9bec ou au Canada n\u2019a\naccept\u00e9 de soutenir <em>Kanata<\/em> il y a 4 ans, \u00e0 cause d\u2019un manque\nde pr\u00e9sence d\u2019artistes des Premi\u00e8res Nations\u2026 Les artistes de ces communaut\u00e9s\ndisent maintenant qu\u2019ils ne veulent pas simplement \u00eatre consult\u00e9s&nbsp;: ils\nveulent \u00eatre sur la sc\u00e8ne, faire partie de l\u2019ensemble du processus de cr\u00e9ation,\net certains ont ajout\u00e9 qu\u2019ils veulent \u00eatre \u00ab&nbsp;c\u00e9l\u00e9br\u00e9s&nbsp;\u00bb. Ils disent\nque l\u2019argent public ne devrait pas aller \u00e0 des artistes qui volent leurs\nhistoires. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mais d\u2019un autre c\u00f4t\u00e9, est-ce que cela\nne revient pas \u00e0 imposer une camisole de force aux artistes&nbsp;? Est-ce que\ndes artistes blancs doivent \u00eatre punis parce qu\u2019ils s\u2019int\u00e9ressent au destin\nd\u2019esclaves noirs et qu\u2019ils veulent d\u00e9noncer le racisme&nbsp;? Et est-ce qu\u2019il\nfaudrait les emp\u00eacher de raconter l\u2019histoire du Canada du point de vue des\nAutochtones&nbsp;? Personne n\u2019est seulement noir, ou blanc. Tout artiste est\nune construction complexe qui ne se limite pas \u00e0 la couleur de sa peau. Comme\nl\u2019a dit Mnouchkine, l\u2019histoire de l\u2019humanit\u00e9 appartient \u00e0 tout le monde. Il ne\npeut pas y avoir d\u2019\u00ab&nbsp;appropriation culturelle&nbsp;\u00bb parce que la culture\nn\u2019est pas une propri\u00e9t\u00e9 physique ou intellectuelle&nbsp;: elle n\u2019appartient \u00e0\naucun groupe particulier. Aucune culture n\u2019est pure et exempte de l\u2019influence\nd\u2019autres cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Les manifestants contre <em>SL\u0100V<\/em> et <em>Kanata<\/em> ont aussi affirm\u00e9 qu\u2019on ne\ndevrait pas les tenir responsables de l\u2019annulation des deux spectacles. Ce sont\nles producteurs qui les ont annul\u00e9s par crainte des manifestations. Certains\nprotestataires ont dit qu\u2019ils n\u2019\u00e9taient pas favorables \u00e0 la censure, mais\nqu\u2019ils voulaient saisir l\u2019occasion de deux grands spectacles par des artistes\npuissants dans des th\u00e9\u00e2tres tr\u00e8s en vue pour crier qu\u2019ils existaient&nbsp;!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"video-6\">Video 6<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CyG2zEbu-X4?rel=0\" width=\"700\" height=\"393\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px\"><\/iframe><br><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">En tant que critique de th\u00e9\u00e2tre,\nj\u2019estime que les spectacles doivent \u00eatre pr\u00e9sent\u00e9s m\u00eame avec ce qui appara\u00eet \u00e0\ncertains comme des d\u00e9fauts ou des erreurs&nbsp;; ensuite, chacun pourra les\ncritiquer, en faire l\u2019\u00e9loge ou d\u00e9noncer la perspective qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 choisie.\nMalgr\u00e9 ce qu\u2019affirment les opposants, je suis d\u2019avis que toute manifestation\nqui r\u00e9sulterait dans l\u2019annulation d\u2019un spectacle serait une censure pure et\nsimple et devrait \u00eatre condamn\u00e9e. On ne peut pas accepter la tyrannie des\nminorit\u00e9s au nom de la rectitude politique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><strong>Note III<\/strong>&nbsp;: Colloque du 29<sup>e<\/sup> Congr\u00e8s de l\u2019AICT \u2013 Saint-P\u00e9tersbourg. <em>Les arts du spectacle aujourd\u2019hui&nbsp;: Libert\u00e9 et (in)tol\u00e9rance<\/em>.<a name=\"end\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/Vais.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-727\" alignnone=\"\">\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end\" href=\"#back\">*<\/a><strong>Michel Va\u00efs<\/strong>\u00a0est Docteur en \u00e9tudes th\u00e9\u00e2trales, secr\u00e9taire g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de l\u2019Association internationale des critiques de th\u00e9\u00e2tre depuis 1998 et l\u2019auteur de\u00a0<em>L\u2019\u00c9crivain sc\u00e9nique<\/em>(Montr\u00e9al, Presses de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec, 1978), de\u00a0<em>L\u2019accompagnateur. Parcours d\u2019un critique de th\u00e9\u00e2tre\u00a0<\/em>(Montr\u00e9al, Varia, 2005), le directeur du\u00a0<em>Dictionnaire des artistes du th\u00e9\u00e2tre qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois\u00a0<\/em>(Montr\u00e9al, Qu\u00e9bec Am\u00e9riques, 2008) et le traducteur fran\u00e7ais de\u00a0<em>John Florio alias Shakespeare<\/em>\u00a0de Lamberto Tassinari (Bordeaux, Le Bord de l\u2019Eau, 2016). R\u00e9dacteur \u00e9m\u00e9rite \u00e0 la Revue de th\u00e9\u00e2tre\u00a0<em>Jeu<\/em>, il a exerc\u00e9 la critique dramatique dans les journaux, et \u00e0 la Cha\u00eene culturelle de Radio-Canada pendant 21 ans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Copyright <strong>\u00a9<\/strong> 2019 Michel Va\u00efs<br><em>Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/88x31.png?w=750&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Creative Commons Attribution International License\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This work is licensed under the<br>Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michel Va\u00efs* NOTE I : Une version fran\u00e7aise de cet article suit. Abstract: Two shows mounted by Robert Lepage were cancelled during the summer of 2018, after they were denounced as \u201ccultural appropriation,\u201d mainly by Black people for SL\u00c3V, then<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[44],"class_list":["post-724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays","tag-by-michel-vais","","tg-column-two"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/image2-3.jpeg?fit=400%2C533&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paUXOT-bG","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=724"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1286,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724\/revisions\/1286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}