Changing the Shape of Things: A Reflection on Power, Privilege, and the Benefits of Institutional Transformation

Abstract

I have spent my life in privilege. I am white. I come from a very comfortable middle-class family. I was born in Canada. I was given access to the best schools and have had a life filled with wonderful work opportunities. I came out as queer in my twenties, was Artistic Director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in my thirties, and in my forties I brought it all to a head with both the creation of The Failure Show: A 13-point manifesto for the consideration of failure, and the completion of an MA in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University.1Now in my fifties I find myself at Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC), working in English Theatre with Jillian Keiley and the rest of the team. Of all the things that have changed since I was born, my privilege has remained the same but my sense of it has changed completely.