Woke segregation arrives at the West End

Imagine if London’s West End began staging performances of Shakespeare where only whites were invited. Imagine if theatres said this was necessary for white audiences to feel safe and comfortable. There would surely be uproar, right? Everyone involved in these productions would rightly be condemned.

Yet something similar is happening in the West End right now. This summer, the Noël Coward Theatre will stage two performances of Slave Play – written by Jeremy O Harris and starring Kit Harington – for an exclusively ‘all black-identifying audience’. According to the show’s official website, these ‘black out’ nights allow black people to have a ‘safe space’ and to enjoy the performance ‘free from the white gaze’, whatever that means.

Of course, outright racial segregation in cinemas, theatres and other public venues is – quite rightly – illegal in Britain. To get around this, tickets have been taken off general sale and are now only purchasable through a special code. This code will be distributed exclusively to black community organisations and student groups. White – or indeed Jewish or Asian – Londoners will not be explicitly turned away at the door. But producers have tried to make it abundantly clear that they are not welcome for these two performances.

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