Canadian Theatre Review
May 2019
Canadian Theatre Review
Batchelor Bryan, Rackow Hannah, Valenzuela Denise Rogers, edited. "Radical Hospitalities." Canadian Theatre Review. January 2019. University of Toronto Press.
To what issues does the artist have a voice? Is it the right of the artist to speak with definitive certainty of issues they themselves have not studied? Is it the role of artists to offer a human perspective on historical, economic or political events? If that is the case, is it not therefore the responsibility of the artist to insist on allowing for differing points of view? Points of view that may have been born out of different experiences or different levels of understanding?
These questions were evoked in me from my reading of the Winter 2019 edition of Canadian Theatre Review, not so much from the articles themselves, but from an attitude - a way of writing and even of selecting articles that seemed almost wholly one sided, and in many ways judgemental of anyone who didn’t share their point of view. As an example, in one of the first articles, a member of the faculty of a University is dismissed for making a racial slur, and the writer of the article immediately goes on to call this gentleman a “white supremacist” for the rest of their article. What the gentleman said was inappropriate, but labeling him a white supremacist takes away any ability for a nuanced conversation and clearly takes away his right to speak. The magazine then goes on to deconstruct the practice of Indigenous Land Acknowledgements, writing it off as little more than settlers trying to get rid of their guilt with platitudes that don’t mean anything. Going as far to say that the attempts of reconciliation by the Canadian government are equally benign, as they prove that the Canadian government sees itself as in a position of authority over Indigenous people groups. What the writers fail to address is the complexity of the reconciliation process, the reality that no one really knows what reconciliation should look like, or what a fully reconciled Canada should be. There is accusation and anger at every attempt at reconciliation, with no thought that the government, or the people issuing land acknowledgements might be honestly trying to reconcile, and just not sure how to best go about it.
This conversation on hospitality smacks of accusation and a call for reform without giving the accused the ability to come to their own conclusions and reform on their own. I recently heard a criticism of this way of thinking: “you’re either already ‘woke’ or you never will be.”
The only article that I felt gave a voice to both sides of the liberal/conservative spectrum was by Johnathan D. Bower, the writer of oblivion. He explored the pain and confusion he felt as a man who is both gay and a Christian. Oblivion was his artistic exploration of his struggles, and it managed to strike a chord with the queer community as well as the faith community - creating conversations between these two conflicting tribes in a way that brought life and understanding. In my opinion, this article was the clearest example of radical hospitality. In the experiences that Bower had with oblivion he was expanding “the table” of hospitality to fit both of his tribes in one place. The other articles seemed to be written with the supposition that for a new group to be accepted at “the table” the old group must first be kicked out.
This sense of outrage and accusation left me with the questions I stated at the beginning of this annotation, and with a keen feeling that anger and accusation does not bring about justice or freedom. It is the honesty of oblivion - clearly an act of vulnerability for Bower, it is the ability to feel and empathize with two warring tribes, it is the invitation to take a step forward instead of being accused because of what you thought before. In short, it is humility that will bring about the radical hospitality that this magazine is seeking to understand and explore.