REPORT: Theater sparks outrage after announcing black-only performances [VIDEO]

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As the most reliable and balanced news aggregation service on the internet, DML News App offers the following information published by NYPost.com:

A taxpayer-funded Canadian theater organization has sparked outrage after announcing an event that will only allow “Black-identifying audiences” to attend.

The National Arts Centre in Ottawa is putting on a “Black Out” night at its Babs Asper Theatre on Feb. 17 — the middle of Black History Month — for the performance of “Is God Is,” a play written by and starring Black women.

“A Black Out is an open invitation to Black-identifying audiences to come and experience performances with their community,” the theater announced earlier this month.


“The evenings will provide a dedicated space for Black theatregoers to witness a show that reflects the vivid kaleidoscope that is the Black experience,” they wrote.

The announcement sparked backlash on social media.

One Twitter user wrote, “Cultural Apartheid. The identitarian left proudly appropriates an oldie but goody. Canada is starting to make the USA seem like Hungary.”

“Racism is alive and well in Canada. I hope this event is boycotted,” another said.

One user questioned, “So given that the National Arts Centre now does single-race-only shows, are they planning on doing a whites only show?”

However, the “Is God Is” performance is just the first black-invitation-only event.

On May 5, the Azrieli Studio will debut a second “Black Out” show for the performance of “Heaven.”

The NAC, a federal cultural organization, claimed it was inspired by a 2019 event for Jeremy O’Harris’ “Slave Play” on Broadway.

O’Harris tweeted, “Honored that ⁦@CanadasNAC⁩ is standing by their commitment to a BLACK OUT performance of one of my favorite plays, ‘IS GOD IS.'”

The theater clarified whether ushers will be race-checking attendees.

It wrote, “If someone self-identifies as a non-Black person and demands to enter the room, a member of our staff will be present to chat with this person. We try our best to have this labour land on a non-Black staff member and we will have non-Black front-of-house, leadership, or technical and production team members present in the lobby to help de-escalate such situations.”

True North discussed the controversy. WATCH:

Journalist Élie Cantin-Nantel posted replies of backlash that the National Arts Centre hid from their post.

Quillette podcaster Jonathan Kay  tweeted, “I have contacted @CanadasNAC just to confirm that their anti-racial-mixing policy for this event prohibits mixed race couples. Update: a communications official at @CanadasNAC told me that the National Arts Centre will *not* be race-checking attendees. The whole thing is don’t-ask-don’t-tell, apparently.”

To get more information about this article, please visit NYPost.com.

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15 COMMENTS

    • Oh, that shut is coming here. There are universities in the US that have black Men’s only lounges, and many are segregating dorms-at the request of black students (claiming they fear living among white students). Pushing a narrative that’s bullshit, but uni’s are using as an excuse to cater to racism.

  1. First of all, being an American, I resent this woman’s characterization that Americans are any more bigoted than Canadians. Second of all, it looks like Martin Luther King Junior‘s message has been lost in Canada. So much for those polite Canadians.

  2. I would go, identify as a black woman (‘cause anyone can identify as anything these days, right?) and see what all this black out is about.

  3. And if they did a whites only performance people would be outraged. I hope everyone boycotts all of this shows performances. They have strived to do away with segregation and now they want to bring it back.

  4. Once again Liberals and Democrats invoke segregation. One giant leap back to 1862,. Thanks Biden and his Demoncrats

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