Shaw Festival Pulls ASSASSINS Concert Due to Racial Slur

The Shaw Festival has announced the cancellation of its previously announced production of Assassins in Concert, after receiving backlash due to a racial slur being used in one of the songs.

"The offensive word is sung by Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, and is used, itself, as a condemnation of Booth's character," a statement reads.

The statement goes on to say that, while the festival tried to change the word in the production, the rights holders asked that the piece be performed unchanged.

"If we had been faced with this dilemma at the right time, (before we started to rehearse), this could have been the spark for a valuable conversation."

The theatre goes on to say that they hope to stage the production in the future, stating "We hope to have a chance to get it right once we can start again."

Read the full statement below: