Carousel Theatre For Kids says it had to spend thousands on extra security
Tuesday, people who were in favor of a drag camp for kids gathered outside a theater on Vancouver’s Granville Island. The organizers of the camp said they had been threatened.
A statement from IATSE Local 118 (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees of the United States and Canada) says that Carousel Theatre For Kids is holding a summer camp where kids can use “drag as a tool for artistic creation.”
The union says that the staff and members of the theater have been “bombarded with hateful messages” and “threatened with physical violence.”
It asked members to meet outside the theater on Tuesday, the first day of the four-day camp, to show a “united front against those who would do harm to anyone in our theatre community.”
The theater says that the camp is for kids between the ages of 7 and 11 and 12 and 17 who are interested in expressing themselves through clothing, makeup, and performance.
IATSE said that a group called Action4Canada had come to the theater with “bogus legal documents” and a petition with thousands of signatures.
In an email to CBC News, Action4Canada shared a notice of liability that the group said is “not a legal document at this point,” but is meant to warn theater management of possible liability.
“In this case, sexually exploiting children is both against the law and bad for them,” the email said.
Legal experts have questioned the value of notices of liability. In 2021, a law professor from the University of British Columbia told CBC News that such documents seem to be nothing more than claims about what someone thinks the law is.
Action4Canada confirmed that it delivered a petition on behalf of the person who started it to the theater.
The group said it hasn’t heard of any threats against the theater and doesn’t agree with threats or violent acts.
Police in Vancouver said they are aware of the protests and are keeping an eye on the situation “in case anything illegal happens.”
Carousel’s board president, Jocelyn Macdougall, said that the theater has had to spend an extra $30,000 to $40,000 on security, cybersecurity, and crisis communications.
Macdougall said, “We have a very small theater company.””We’re very good at making great shows for kids. We don’t know how to deal with hate.”
Davey Calderon, who has been doing drag for eight years, went to the event on Tuesday to show his support for the theater staff who are using drag as a creative tool.
Calderon said, “For us, it’s about the fact that we’re here and want to just live our lives.” “It’s not good for a society to have that kind of opposition and bigotry against us and the community.”