In the production, newcomer Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, a woman of color, has been cast as Juliet alongside Holland, who will play Romeo.
The Duke of York Theater in London’s West End has shared a statement questioning what it described as the “deplorable” racist abuse it has recorded online following the reveal of the cast of its upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet.
In production, the newcomer Francesca Amewudah-Riversa woman of color, has been cast as Juliet alongside Tom Hollandwho will be Romeo.
The message against racist comments by the cast of the new version of Romeo and Juliet
Today’s statement shared by The Duke of York on X, but attributed to The Jamie Lloyd Companysays the company has since received a “flurry” of racist messages online directed at members of its company.
“This must stop”says the statement.
“We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that you are free to create work without online harassment. We will continue to support and protect everyone in our company at all costs. “Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported.”
The statement continues: “Bullying and harassment have no place online, in our industry, or in our communities at large.. Our rehearsal room is filled with joy, compassion and kindness. We celebrate the extraordinary talent of our incredible collaborators.”
Romeo and Juliet opens at the Duke of York’s Theater on Thursday 23 May, with previews from Saturday 11 May and running until Saturday 3 August. Amewudah-Rivers previously appeared in two seasons of the series Bad Education from the BBC and in three short films. She has stage experience in productions at the Globe and Lyric Hammersmith, among other venues.
Source: Ambito
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