‘Segregational Appeal’. That’s a new one. Right? This phrase is attracting condemnation, it would appear, throughout all of Canada. And why? It’s all about the ‘Black Out’. Nothing to do with wartime activities, nothing to do with Covid-19, or anything like that.
In the last year, two major Canadian theatres announced that they would have exclusive performances for an audience ‘identifying as Black’. That is, if you’re not Black, or identify as Black, you ain’t coming in! What do you make of that then?
Black Out nights started in 2019 with a performance on Broadway where the event was pitched as enabling Black theatregoers to enjoy events “free from the white gaze”. Erm…
Although some people have called this out as racism, one of the theatres involved, the Toronto Theatre, says that the purpose of such events is to give Black theatregoers a safe environment to discuss personal and intimate work made and performed by Black artists. Free from the white gaze.
Black plays for Black audiences, they state, like, “X and Da Spirit”, a play about activist and theatre creator Donovan Hayden’s experiences during the Black Lives Matter protests. Black Out night performances are dedicated to Black audiences. Only. Some people have likened this ‘segregated’ action to the apartheid regime.
The theatres do add, however, that while white attendees would not be banned from attending a show on a Black Out night (that would be against the Canadian racial discrimination law and thereby unlawful), the theatre made it clear that whites would not be welcome. And a member of staff would be on hand to have a word in their shell-like, and presumably escort them off the premises, if needs be. Can you imagine the scene? But in protest, some white theatregoers purchased tickets to Black Out nights. Those who could be bothered.
You may think, at this point, that this sort of thing is a prickly North American matter and does not have a lot to do with us Brits. Well, you’d be wrong there. Because the very same thing has happened here. Right here. In London.
Again, in the past year, the Almeida theatre in Islington staged ‘Daddy’ in April and ‘The Clinic’ in September, under their Black Out initiative. I went to see ‘The Clinic’ on a regular night. The Black Out performance sold out well in advance. Shame, as I was interested to see how that worked and what my experience would be from such a thing. But is this the way forward? I go to the theatre a lot, where every colour and creed sit alongside each other and enjoy great theatre (showcasing every colour and creed on stage) and until this point, I was not aware of the ‘white gaze’.
But just think: a white man turning up at one of these shows stating he is a Black woman! (side look)
