Diversity

An advocacy group for British East and South East Asians working in the screen and stage industries has accused the Royal Opera House (ROH) of "whitewashing" its new production of a Puccini opera.

The Beats group said the casting for the ROH's Turandot, currently running at the Covent Garden venue, was "simply unacceptable" and that it was "very concerned" at the "highly limited representation".

It said in a statement: "We fail to see why there are only two British East and South East Asians singers in a production that is set in China." 

The group has called on the ROH to "undertake a thorough review of its casting processes to ensure that its productions have much better and more appropriate representation on and off stage".

It added that the ROH's approach to casting "limits the ability of artists of colour to participate in the telling of their own stories on stage".

Responding to the criticism, the ROH said: "We are opposed to pigeonholing singers into certain roles based on ethnicity, recognising that to do so would be limiting and reductive. 

"At the same time, we do not ignore ethnicity entirely. Instead, we are committed to colour-conscious casting, an approach which considers the nuance required to authentically and respectfully portray each and every story."

It added that the new production "presents an outstanding and diverse cast".

Jerwood Arts has launched a new toolkit to help drive socio-economic inclusivity in the cultural sector.

The independent arts funder says its toolkit, (Team) Work In Practice, foregrounds the voices and experiences of early-career artists from working class backgrounds.

It offers actionable ideas organised into five sections, covering recruitment and induction, support in professional development and onward progression.

Jerwood Arts Director Lilli Geissendorfer said the suggested actions in the toolkit arise directly from Fellows and Alumni of the WJCB programme.

“Responding to the ambitions of the 2020-22 Fellows encouraged us to work with them to design a resource that could articulate in real-life detail what ‘inclusivity’ does and doesn’t look like up close, day to day, throughout their journey in an organisation,” Geissendorfer added.

“Our hope is that people working in arts organisations across the UK will dip into the toolkit and use it as a starting point for wider reflection and discussion on what inclusivity could look like within their own context.”

Arts and cultural organisations will be able to access online and in-person workshops based on the toolkit throughout 2023.

National Youth Theatre has announced IGNITE Your Creativity, a partnership with Netflix that aims to introduce young people to backstage and technical careers in film, TV and theatre.

The programme is designed to offer opportunities to more than 500 young people aged 14 to 25 in South Wales, West Yorkshire and the North East of England in its first year.

“Theatre is one of the great pipelines to TV and film but sadly the pipeline of opportunity for so many young people has been broken for so long,” said Paul Roseby, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of National Youth Theatre.

“Certain parts of the creative industries are growing, but ironically so is the skills gap in production talent. This partnership will help redress the imbalance”.  

The programme is currently recruiting young people in Newport, South Wales, where participants will work with Urban Myth Films and their Newport-based film studios, the Sherman Theatre, National Youth Arts Wales and local community organisations and schools. 

The programme will expand to West Yorkshire and the North East of England later this year, delivering 20 free community and school workshops in each area. It will also offer set and theatre visits and free week-long courses led by industry professionals.

“Our industry has a pronounced absence of socio-economic diversity partly because it’s freelance, which makes it tough for those from less privileged backgrounds to gain a foothold,” said Anne Mensah, Vice President of UK Content at Netflix.

“IGNITE Your Creativity has been designed to raise awareness and aspirations, and build confidence and networks so that young people don’t need to have existing industry connections, live in a big city or have a degree for a career in TV and film.”

A new theatre initiative in Sheffield hopes to provide opportunities for young people of African and Caribbean heritage in the city.

Utopia Theatre, an ACE National Portfolio Organisation formed in 2012, said its Youth Academy will run performing arts classes and workshops for children and young people aged nine–19, as well as providing mentoring and training in all aspects of theatre.

Using African oral storytelling and performance techniques, the academy will develop performing talent and offer career advice.

Utopia’s founder and director Mojisola Kareem-Elufowoju said this was “a pivotal moment” for the company.

She explained: “The launch of the academy responds to the inequalities and shortage of opportunities for black youths to pursue a career in the arts.

“Utopia Theatre provides a strong role model and has developed community partnerships over the last four years to address issues that affect the black community in Sheffield.

“This is an opportunity for our youth academy members to build their life and creative skills, starting a cycle of learners who are positively impacting each other’s lives.”

Utopia hopes to attract around 100 young people to the scheme. No acting or drama experience is needed to take part.