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Letter: 'An overdue first step' towards a stronger, more inclusive Stratford Festival

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To the Editor:

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In his letter to the editor of April 17, Rod Heikkila takes issue with the anti-racism statement that has appeared on the Stratford Festival’s website since early last summer. Justly pointing out that the Festival’s founder, Tom Patterson, fought fascism in Europe during the Second World War, Mr. Heikkila argues that for its current leadership to acknowledge any complicity in unjust systems rooted in notions of white supremacy is to disrespect the Festival’s own past.

Having been associated with this extraordinary theatre for more than 30 years, and a member of that current leadership for nearly 25, I have had the pleasure of working with many of its founding members, including Tom Patterson himself. I know that the ideals Tom defended in wartime were the same ones that subsequently informed his vision of the Festival as a truly Canadian institution that would be inclusive and excellent. But in all humility, I also know that I and my colleagues have not done enough to extend that vision and to diversify the Festival to fully reflect our country.

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“Of course,” writes Mr. Heikkila, “decent people oppose racism, support including people, and seek to treat others fairly. Of course, we should all welcome an array of voices in the arts.” I wholeheartedly agree with that — except for those two small words, “of course.”

Ask me if I consider myself a racist, or even merely tolerant of racism, and I will indignantly reply, “Of course not.” But ask me if I have always fully empathized with the experience of those whose ethnical and cultural backgrounds are different from mine, or if, in considering an array of voices, I have never felt tempted to opt for the comfort of familiarity, then perhaps I might not be quite so sure.

Even with the best of intentions, it is all too easy for decent people to be blind to the experiences of others, to fail to recognize that our own unthinking assumptions may cause them hurt or harm. Of course we are not the problem; we ourselves would never permit systemic inequity. Of course not. The result of such well-meaning complacency is, at best, inaction; over time, it leads to injustice.

To paraphrase King Lear, I and my colleagues have taken too little care of this – but we are working on it. To acknowledge the shortcomings in our past efforts is an overdue first step towards a stronger, more inclusive future for the Festival: a future of excellence and growth that I hope more than ever embodies the spirit of Tom Patterson.

Antoni Cimolino

Artistic Director, Stratford Festival

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