The choice to host a show for black audience members has been defended by the creative director of a theatre in east London.
 |
| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
From June 16 through July 15, Tambo & Bones, a drama that examines the African American experience, will be performed at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Although some have challenged the plans, the Black Out performance on July 5 for an "all-black identifying audience" has already sold out.
I realize it's not for everyone, and it's acceptable to disagree, said Nadia Fall.
Since the weekend, the Black Out event has received extensive media coverage.
Festus Akinbusoye, the first black police and crime commissioner in Britain, was one of several who questioned the proposals, calling them a "mistake" that "sets a bad precedent."
I embrace anything that would increase the diversity of our public areas and promote the exchange of cultural experiences, the man remarked.
"What I do not welcome, in my opinion, is anything that celebrates that division."
For an "all-black identifying audience," Tambo & Bones' performance on July 5 has already reached capacity.
When asked if a white individual who attempted to attend the Black Out concert on the night in question would be turned away, Ms. Fall responded, "Absolutely not," to Eddie Nestor of BBC Radio London.
"I'm not black, but as a human, I understand there are times when a community wants to come together to reflect, celebrate, and so on," she continued.
"This is about a single opportunity for a community to come together. I recognize that. Not all people will.
"I realize there are times when it's not about me as an Asian woman," she said.
Despite only one other show being sold out, she emphasized that there were 28 additional chances to see the performance.
"There have been a lot of people who have been in support of it, for all the people that you know don't get it or purposefully twist its spirit or intention," she remarked.
"It's not the only type of performance we put on to welcome in different communities: for deaf and disabled audiences, we have access performances, laid-back performances, and British Sign Language performances."
The Lyric in Hammersmith will have a comparable event the following month in support of their production of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.
Slave Play, a 2019 Broadway production by American playwright Jeremy O. Harris, inaugurated a Black Out evening.
As part of his production of Daddy at the Almeida Theatre in Islington, north London, he also held a Black Out event the previous year.
