Paapa Essiedu and Jamael Westman among names on letter to theatre industry leaders calling for 'urgent reform' to tackle racism

Paapa Essiedu, Jamael Westman, Giles Terera and Hayley Atwell are among 400 to sign an open letter
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Some of the biggest names in theatre have today written an open letter to industry leaders calling for “urgent reform” to tackle racism and lack of diversity in the profession.

More than 400 performers, directors, set and costume designers, and writers have signed the letter - which has been addressed to industry leaders including executive and artistic directors of all of Britain's theatres. It is also addressed to members of the Society of London Theatre, which represents and champions all of the city's creatives and venues.

The letter, which has been signed by Paapa Essiedu, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s first black Hamlet, Jamael Westman, the first actor to play Hamilton in the West End, actors Rakie Ayola and Clarke Peters plus co-artistic director of Manchester's Royal Exchange Roy Alexander Weise, acknowledges the industry is in an unprecedented crisis due to the pandemic, but says its leaders cannot ignore issues of underlying racism.

It suggests the death of George Floyd in Minnesota and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests have offered the industry a time to “reflect” on what must be done.

The letter, which is also signed by actors Hayley Atwell and Haydn Gwynne, plus screenwriter Jack Thorne, offers a number of requests that theatres and its staff should adopt for good practice. These range from hiring diverse teams to providing adequate and appropriate hair and make up for performers.

The letter reads: “We stand alongside you in this moment of self-reflection optimistic that newly awakened to these failures we shall make concerted efforts to address Industry wide issues that alienate your Black colleagues. We cannot accept empty gestures. Beyond your own personal self-education of anti-racism which we are assured is well underway, we would ask that you commit to the following measures as a signal of your intent to create anti-racist workplaces, equal for all your performers.

“Across industries, from Sport to Education to Publishing we have witnessed an unprecedented level of self-examination, attempting to address complicity in racism; be that opting for silence rather than speaking out in solidarity, unconscious bias caused by ignorance or more blatant displays of prejudice. As an industry, we must not be above this rigorous self-examination.”

“We are in urgent need of and expect actionable reform.”

You can read the full letter at alettertobritishtheatre.wordpress.com

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