We applaud the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation’s commission of Danuta Kean’s research into opportunities for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) performers in British musical theatre (Report, 12 July). British musical theatre – and theatre in all its manifestations – must reflect the society that it is part of, or it loses its relevance.
It’s an issue that Oldham Coliseum theatre is addressing. By 2020, a quarter of the population of Oldham will be of south Asian heritage, and we are responding to this opportunity by looking at our theatre in a 360-degree fashion and asking some searching questions of ourselves. What’s our programme? Does it meet the needs of our town? What’s the cultural diversity of our board, staff, volunteers, freelancers and casts? We feel we’re making some progress – in 2015, 20% of our artists, actors and technical crew were of non-white British heritage – but it’s a constant organisational imperative and one we ignore at our peril.
Danuta Kean rightly points to “the pipeline to talent” and the vital importance of early exposure to theatre for poorer children where black and Asian children are disproportionately represented. Our education partnership scheme with local schools is critical here: children and young people watch our productions facilitated through affordable ticketing, they perform on our stage, and we offer opportunities to discover the careers available to them. Our teaching theatre model, involving young people aged 16-plus in work-based training, has also been an unqualified success.
By rethinking partnership working – for example, by working with Aksa Housing, a social housing provider for the Asian community, we are clearly signalling that theatre is for everyone in Oldham.
Kevin Shaw
Artistic director and chief executive, Oldham Coliseum theatre
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