University Players closure 'disappointing,' and a major blow to theatre training in Canada: artists

The decision by University of Windsor to close the theatre company arm of its School for Dramatic Art "is very disappointing" and "a major blow to theatre training in Canada," two members of the arts community said, as people continue to react to the announcement.

Poet and lawyer Peter Hrastovec, and Antoni Cimolino, artistic director of the Stratford Festival of Canada, both expressed shock at the university's decision to close the University Players.

"I think the decision by the university to close the University Players program is very disappointing, I think it is an act of bad faith for this community," Hrastovec told CBC Windsor.

"There was no consultation, it caught everyone by surprise."

On Tuesday the university announced the closure of the University Players and layoff of 10 staff, citing budget considerations, including "fluctuating" enrolment, a domestic tuition freeze provincial policy as reasons for the move, as it looks to slash a $5.6 million shortfall.

In a statement to CBC News, the university said the University Players is a unit that complements academic programs, while the university's priority is academic programming, which is still going ahead through the School of Dramatic Art.

Salaries and costs for the University Players are outpacing revenue by more than $1 million per year, according to the university.

"It is simply not financially viable," a spokesperson said.

'Absolutely unfortunate'

Describing the University Players as "iconic," Hrastovec noted that it's the face of the university in many respects. 

"A lot of people don't have any dealings with the university, save and except they go to see the University Players, and to dismantle that part of the program, to take it away, to make it disappear after all these decades is absolutely unfortunate," he said.

"There ought to be other ways of looking at balancing the budget. I'm not privy to all the decision making, how they came about this, but the fact that there was no public consultation is very, very disappointing to a lot of people, and the list keeps growing."

One of the best training programs in Canada

Meanwhile, Cimolino said the University of Windsor School of Dramatic Art is one of the best training programs in the country, and the University Players was an important opportunity for students to put what they learn into practice. 

"It's going to make that program not as rich, it is going to impact the rest of the country in terms of the quality of the students that are coming out that are available for the theatre in the country," Cimolino said.

He noted that a lot of important actors in Canada — including Steve Ouilmette, Tom McCamus, and many others — came from the University of Windsor's training program and were part of University Players.

"This action comes with a cost — a major cost to the theatre in the country," he said.

Cimolino, who has an honorary doctorate from the University of Windsor, said the teaching of the arts is a very important part of the university. 

"I was very happy to receive that honorary doctorate, and at the time that I received it, I talked about the importance of the humanities and of theatre… Theatre isn't incidental. From the time of the ancient Greeks to now, it's been one of the prime ways that we as people explore who we are, it has an important place in any university setting," Cimolino said.

"This particular program was an important program to the development of artists in Canada, and it's gone."

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Cimolino said the decision to end the University Players "is a major blow to theatre training in Canada. Our country is made poorer for this loss."

Hundreds sign petition

As of Friday afternoon, just under 2,000 people had signed a petition calling on the university to reinstate the University Players.

Bryanna Rowe, who said she's a student at the university, started the petition on Wednesday, writing, "The performance aspect of the program, which I find irreplaceable, is central to my learning journey, making its absence keenly felt."

According to Rowe, the university's decision "deeply impacts not only the personal academics of the students but also our community's cultural richness. The arts are an indispensable part of our lives, contributing to our personal growth, encouraging critical thinking, and nurturing creativity."

She said signing the change.org petition would help show the university that University Players is a wanted asset for students and the Windsor community and offers students the enriching, transformative experience it provides.