Official response from Janet Suzman regarding article in the Guardian (9 December 2014) My comments in the Guardian (9.12.14) obviously refer only to a small part of a larger picture. I was not, when asked on the phone by the writer and standing in a noisy corridor, about to launch into a wide discussion with her about the origins of all world theatre. Her question to me was to comment on Meera Syalls plea for wider representation of Asian subjects. Well, then, invest in and commission Asian writers, was my answer. There are many marvellously gifted Asian actors, of which Meera is tops. No, what I was referring to was a picture that I have of the West End or commercial London/British product. My impression is that it is very, very white - apart from a musical import from The Young Vic called The Scottsburgh Boys. A pretty good starting point, if you are avoiding the pitfalls of a general history lesson, is to start with the formal beginnings of English drama, and that, for my money, begins with William Shakespeare. Or no, sorry, the ancient Greeks - since we still regularly turn to their plays if primal subjects are in favour. When managements start to invest in Asian or black writers, things can start to pop. The Royal Court and Stratford East already do a lot of this. I stand by my comment that ‘going to the theatre’ is a pretty white way of spending an evening. And expensive at that! Of course, if you can boast Lenny Henry or Chiwetel Ejiofor as your leading man, black patrons will no doubt come along. The play I have recently done sported a magnificent performance by a young man from the townships of Cape Town and, as I say, one, maybe two, black faces turned up in the whole run. I was disappointed if not wholly surprised. But that absence indicates that going to a fringe theatre is not much on the black agenda. It was completely packed out with white faces. It is therefore quite apparent that work needs to be done at all levels to change this. Yours sincerely, Janet Suzman
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 08:52:31 +0000