Hello and welcome back to our roundup of news from across the industry. From stage to screens big and small, we’ve got you covered. It’s everything you need to know and all you can’t afford to miss.
Critic made ‘unforgivable racial slur’.
Journalist and theatre critic Quentin Letts made an ‘extended and unforgivable racial slur’ against the actor Leo Wringer in his review of the RSC production of ‘The Fantastic Follies of Mr. Rich’. In his Daily Mail review, the well-known critic asked if Leo Wringer was ‘cast because he is black’ and suggested that the RSC were ‘under pressure the Arts Council to tick inclusiveness boxes’.
The RSC quickly released a response, saying they were ‘shocked and deeply troubled’ by the suggestion that Wringer was cast because of his ethnicity and that the critic had written an ‘ugly and prejudiced commentary’. Last week Wringer, who has appeared in numerous acclaimed roles, wrote a response piece, saying he doesn’t usually read reviews but that Lett’s piece had caused ‘such a bad odour’ that he couldn’t ignore it. The actor went on to ask Letts for an apology, saying that his ‘comments were directed primarily at the RSC’s casting policies’ but also against ‘me and my fellow actors of colour’.
Drama schools vow to refine harassment policies.
Drama schools across the U.K. vowed to refine their policies and procedures for dealing with harassment in an effort to ensure a safe environment for all students, staff, and visiting practitioners. Leon Rubin, head of East 15 and president of the Federation of Drama Schools, spoke on behalf of 20 other schools including RADA, LAMDA and Guildhall. The institutions Rubin said that the schools already had existing policies but these will be ‘examined and updated to meet a new ethical code’.
The statement comes after Equity and the Musician’s Union launched an investigation into the harassment and bullying of students. The Stage also ran a survey of performing arts students revealing that, of the respondents who had experienced inappropriate behaviour, 36 percent of students said they had been bullied and 20 percent had allegedly experienced sexual harassment. The new ethical guidelines will include a commitment for staff to undergo training sessions focussed on consent, permission, and physical contact in performance studies. They will also look at behaviour outside of the rehearsal room and offer training for staff on how to deal with issues and complaints.
Read the full letter here.
Young Vic season will show ‘theatre is for all’.
Kwame Kwei-Armah launched his first season as artistic director of the Young Vic, announcing a musical adaptation of ‘Twelfth Night’ with preview tickets costing just £5. The production will be ‘funky, fun and modern’, with low prices at the box office intended to show that the South London theatre will focus on access for all. The season features a second British production of Danai Gurira’s ‘The Convert’, originally produced at The Gate to critical acclaim in 2017. Also included in the new season is a main house production of ‘Jesus Hopped the A Train’ by Stephen Adly Guirgis and ‘Things of Dry Hours’ by Naomi Wallace.
Kwei-Armah announced the launch of two new strands of work from the venue. ‘My England’ sees a selection of playwrights including Polly Stenham and Jack Thorne explore ‘what it means to be English’ in monologues to be released on social media. ‘YV Unpacked” is a new initiative that takes plays out of the building to people who ‘do not normally think that theatre is for them’, including touring to refugee centres, prisons, and community centres. The initial production will be a new version of ‘Spring Awakening’ by Frank Wedekind.
Goldsmiths gets £3 million refurb and launches musical theatre course.
Goldsmiths University is launching a degree in musical theatre to coincide with a new £2.9 million performance centre at their South London campus. The new development sees their current George Wood Theatre completely renovated and two extra studio spaces built into the former chapel. The refurbished 200 seat venue will be available to students and staff from across the university but will mainly feature work from the Department of Theatre and Performance and the Department of Music. £300,000 of new audio-visual kit alongside lighting and sound equipment is to be installed in the space after the building work is completed this summer. After that, it will be available to hire by external companies, the first customers being the National Youth Theatre which has a partnership with Goldsmiths. Unlike drama school training, the Goldsmiths course is aimed at students wanting to study a mixture of performance, making and producing.
EU legislation will mean British theatres ‘go dark’.
Conversation at the Olivier Awards focussed on how an EU ruling about light bulbs might bankrupt British theatres. The new regulations would mean that most lighting currently used on stages will be banned, landing the industry with a £185 million bill for new energy-efficient lights and an artistic challenge to create productions without traditional bulbs. The law was not designed to target theatre but, unlike previous legislation, it will not include an exemption for stage performances.
Stage Production News
The National Theatre production of ‘Follies’ is to return next year. The Sondheim musical starred Imelda Staunton, Janie Dee, Philip Quast, and Peter Forbes and ran in the Olivier for the three months to January this year. A cast recording has also been created, to be released next year.
An immersive production inspired by the Disney film ‘Fantasia’ is to open at The Vaults this summer, with original recordings of music from the film directed by Daisy Evans, the founder of Silent Opera.
Check out Backstage’s London audition listings!
