A Homegrown Fundraiser for SummerWorks

Festival is surprised by nationwide support after it staged controversial play last year.

It’s protest theatre like you’ve never seen before. Theatres across Canada will be holding staged readings of the controversial play Homegrown on July 15 to show solidarity with SummerWorks, the country’s largest juried theatre festival. SummerWorks lost nearly $50,000 in federal funding from Heritage Canada last week, just a month before it was set to begin. Many in the theatre community speculate that the funding cut was a result of last year’s inclusion of the play Homegrown, which was accused by the Prime Minister’s Office of glorifying terrorism before it had even opened. A producer for the play said the readings are meant to show support and solidarity for the festival and for contentious works across Canada. Readings have been planned in Vancouver, Nanaimo, Whitehorse, Winnipeg, Kitchener, and Hamilton. Proceeds from the readings will go toward the festival, which has already made up $35,000 in donations.