On March 27 I rose in the Nova Scotia Legislature to give the following members statement:
On this World Theatre Day, I rise today to honour Dartmouth North resident and all-around amazing person Sébastien Labelle as he prepares to leave his position as executive director of the Bus Stop Theatre Co-op. Sébastien started as executive director of this vital and vibrant art space in 2016. Under his stewardship, the co-op has purchased the building it is housed within and seen the theatre and lobby space through a major renovation and improvement. The space is now much more physically accessible and has an extra space in the basement which is used for smaller performances, workshops, and community events. He did all of this through a pandemic in which the world saw theatres close for extended periods of time and income from and for the arts dry up. As executive director, Sebastien has helped lead the member-run Bus Stop Theatre to be a truly open and available space - a place where diverse and Indigenous North End artists feel ownership and pride for the space. It’s a place where everyone, artists and audience alike, can feel safe. Sébastien’s legacy is an organization that’s viable and strong and a building that is sound and beautiful. The word on the street is that he’s doing this to spend more time with his family, but we will see about that. I ask all members to join me in thanking Sébastien Labelle for his contribution to the Bus Stop Theatre and in wishing him well in whatever comes next.