Greater than 800 predominantly Black feminine and non-binary actors have signed an open letter in solidarity with Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, who has been focused with on-line racial abuse after the announcement of her casting in a brand new manufacturing of Romeo & Juliet.
Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim and Marianne Jean-Baptiste are among the many 883 signatories of the letter, alongside actors Lolly Adefope, Freema Agyeman, Wunmi Mosaku, and Tamara Lawrance.
It reads: “Too many instances, Black performers – notably Black actresses – are left to face the storm of on-line abuse after committing the crime of getting a job on their very own.”
It comes after a press release by the Jamie Lloyd theatre firm condemning the “barrage of deplorable racial abuse” that has been directed at Amewudah-Rivers and saying additional harassment could be reported.
The abuse, the corporate – run by the director Jamie Lloyd – stated, adopted the announcement of the present’s solid together with Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet and Tom Holland as Romeo.
Wednesday’s letter, which was organised by Enola Holmes actor Susan Wokoma and the author Somalia Nonyé Seaton, said: “When information of Francesca Amewudah-Rivers’ casting in Jamie Lloyd’s manufacturing of Romeo and Juliet was introduced so many individuals celebrated and welcomed this information. Many people took to social media to bathe our child sis with love and congratulations – an enormous deal for somebody so younger of their profession. An enormous rising expertise.
“However then what adopted was a too acquainted horror that many people seen Black darkish skinned performers have skilled. The racist and misogynistic abuse directed at such a candy soul has been an excessive amount of to bear. For a casting announcement of a play to ignite such twisted ugly abuse is actually embarrassing for these so empty and barren in their very own lives that they have to meddle in hateful abuse.”
Lynch is finest recognized for her roles within the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies (MCU) in addition to for enjoying MI6 agent Nomi within the 2021 James Bond movie No Time to Die. Atim is a double Olivier award-winning Ugandan-British actor, singer, composer and playwright who has appeared in various stage and TV exhibits, whereas Jean-Baptiste got here to prominence following her position within the 1996 movie Secrets and techniques & Lies, for which she acquired Oscar, Golden Globe and Bafta nominations.
The signatories welcomed the theatre firm’s assertion and stated they hoped it will “prolong to dedicated emotional help for Francesca on her journey with the manufacturing”.
They added: “Too many instances theatre corporations, broadcasters, producers and streamers have failed to supply any assist or help when their Black artists face racist or misogynistic abuse. Reporting is just too typically left on the shoulders of the abused, who’re additionally then anticipated to advertise stated present.
“We need to ship a transparent message to Francesca and all Black girls performers who face this type of abuse – we see you. We see the artwork you handle to provide with not solely the pressures that your white colleagues face however with the added traumatic hurdle of misogynoir. We’re so excited to observe you shine.”
Romeo & Juliet runs on the Duke of York’s Theatre from 11 Might to three August and marks Amewudah-Rivers’ West Finish debut. The actor has beforehand starred in Shakespeare performs Macbeth and Othello in addition to Sophocles tragedy Antigone throughout London theatres. She additionally starred in two seasons of the Unhealthy Training on BBC.
The play will even be the Spider-Man star Holland’s first huge theatre position since his debut in Billy Elliot: the Musical.
Lloyd is understood for mounting daring, megastar-led variations of traditional performs similar to Physician Faustus with Equipment Harington, Betrayal with Tom Hiddleston and The Seagull with Emilia Clarke. His new manufacturing of the musical Sundown Boulevard, with Nicole Scherzinger, just lately ended a sold-out run at London’s Savoy theatre and is transferring to Broadway in September.
Final yr Lloyd directed Taylor Russell and Paapa Essiedu in a revival of Lucy Prebble’s play The Impact on the Nationwide Theatre, earlier than opening on the Shed in New York in March.
Romeo & Juliet is billed as “a pulsating new imaginative and prescient of Shakespeare’s immortal story of wordsmiths, rhymers, lovers and fighters”.
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