Facing Backlash: Performance in the Age of Reactionary Politics

Is DEDI dead? What does this mean for Canadian theatre? The multidimensionality of the international backlash against Decolonization, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (DEDI) initiatives has a direct bearing on the lives and careers of theatre artists across Canada, especially racialized and minoritized artists. Although meaningful changes have occurred in many professional and educational contexts since 2020, the growing backlash raises new, urgent questions: How have commitments to address structural racism and colonialism in the Canadian theatre industry, including conversations around casting and the representation of marginalized communities, been met? Which initiatives have succeeded, which have failed, and why? Though distressing, the current backlash is no surprise, nor is it the first time Canadian theatre artists and academics have contended with it. How can we face the current backlash together? What can we learn from previous backlashes and those who survived them? How can we adapt the tools, strategies, and models that worked before to support artists today? How might we need to create transnational strategies to build solidarities with those experiencing backlash in other international sites? How can we amplify the insights and gains made by equity-seeking artists, in part through these DEDI initiatives? How can theatre artists, educators, and students prepare for the next five years and beyond?

Dates: April 27- 28, 2025
Location: Joseph G. Green Theatre, York University | Livestream
Admission: FREE (registration required, register here) Open to artists, scholars, undergraduate and graduate students, and the wider public.

This two-day event will engage presenters and audience members in: reflecting critically on the DEDI work that has been achieved since 2020; identifying obstacles, including experiences of backlash, that have interrupted or impeded the realization of DEDI goals and related initiatives; sharing strategies for navigating backlash and strengthening the performing arts community locally and across Canada. For more details in the days ahead, please, visit https://castingcanadiantheatre.ca/facing-backlash-symposium.

The event has been curated by Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster, Laura Levin, Keira Loughran, Mariló Núñez, Jamie Robinson, Marlis Schweitzer, Celine Daaboul, and Maya Fleming, with accessibility support from Natasha Ross.