White theatregoers urged not to attend play aimed at black audiences

A theatre has urged white people not to attend a play, arguing that its audience should be “free from the white gaze”.

The Theatre Royal Stratford East, in east London, said that white visitors should not come and watch a performance of Tambo & Bones on July 5.

Organisers said they are hosting the one-off “Black Out” event to create a “safe, private” space for an “all-black-identifying audience” to explore race-related issues.

While the theatre’s website stated that “no one is excluded”, promotional material made it clear that white theatregoers are not welcome.

A description for the show read: “A Black Out night is the purposeful creation of an environment in which an all-black-identifying audience can experience and discuss an event in the performing arts, film, and cultural spaces – free from the white gaze.”

The UK’s first black police and crime commissioner (PCC) condemned the event, warning that it set a “poor and dangerous precedent”.

Festus Akinbusoye, the PCC for Bedfordshire, “strongly urged” the theatre and the play’s director to cancel its Black Out event.

“Society is richer and stronger when an understanding of each other’s cultures and stories are shared and heard,” he said.

“However I believe the Black Out concept runs contrary to this education and enrichment ethos.”

He added: “As a lover of theatre performances – Hamilton being a recent one I attended – it was a great experience being able to share this with people of all races and cultures.

“Despite its majority black or visibly ethnic minority cast, I would not have watched it if it had been a ‘Black Out’ performance.

“This also sets a poor and dangerous precedent, in my view, and is not something I would support.

“I would strongly urge the organisers of this to seriously reconsider their decision in light of the message it sends, and the precedent it sets.”

Samuel Kasumu, a former Number 10 race adviser currently running to be the Conservative candidate for next year’s London mayoral election, said that he endorsed Mr Akinbusoye’s comments “100 per cent”.

However, the Black Out event has received the backing of Sir Trevor Phillips, the broadcaster and former politician, who described it as “completely lawful”.

“I think it’s fine, for several reasons,” he said. “There is not a ‘ban’ on white attendees. It’s completely lawful. It is one night out of many. There are other performances designated for specific audiences.

“The content might be interesting in different ways for audiences from different backgrounds and would probably be reacted to differently by a predominantly black audience. To be honest, if I’m around, I think I might go along to see how it works.”

Tambo & Bones, which opened in the US in 2022, explores 300 years of African American history through its eponymous characters, businessman Tambo and hustler Bones.

The play is split into three parts. The first shows the pair’s misfortunes as minstrels before they become rappers and then members of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Tambo & Bones has received lukewarm reviews Stateside, with The New York Times saying its satire on racism and capitalism has “little force behind it”.

The Los Angeles Times said that the lyrics of the rap concert, held halfway, “were often lost in a blur of sound”.

Matthew Xia, the director of the UK run of the play, which costs up to £37.50 per ticket, said it was “imperative” that the Black Out performance went ahead.

In promotional material for the play, he wrote: “Over the last few years, a number of playwrights and directors in the US and the UK have created private and safe spaces for black theatregoers to experience productions that explore complex, nuanced race-related issues.

“I felt that with a play like Tambo & Bones which unpicks the complexity of black performance in relation to the white gaze, it was imperative that we created such a space.”

Theatre defends event

A spokesman for the Theatre Royal Stratford East said: “Black Out night is an initiative which started on Broadway and has been taken up by several London theatres, the spirit of which is congregation, celebration and healing.

“Tambo & Bones, staged at Stratford East, is a bold new play, a satire which actively explores race and what it is to be black. 

“We have chosen to embrace this initiative for one performance, during the play’s month-long run, as a space for black audiences to experience the play as a community.”

Mr Xia has been approached for comment.