The director behind a brand new manufacturing of Romeo & Juliet is condemning the “barrage of deplorable racial abuse” seemingly directed at Tom Holland‘s co-star, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, after she was forged as Juliet, and he says the abuse “should cease.”
Jamie Lloyd shared an announcement condemning the harassment after his theater firm introduced the total forged of its upcoming run at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre. The forged contains Holland (Romeo), Amewudah-Rivers (Juliet), Freema Agyeman (nurse), Michael Balogun (friar), Tomiwa Edun (Capulet), Mia Jerome (Montague), Daniel Quinn-Toye (Rely Paris) and Ray Sesay (Tybalt).
“Following the announcement of our Romeo & Juliet forged, there was a barrage of deplorable racial abuse on-line directed in direction of a member of our firm. THIS MUST STOP,” the assertion learn. “We’re working with a exceptional group of artists. We insist that they’re free to create work with out dealing with on-line harassment.”
The assertion continued, “We are going to proceed to assist and shield everybody in our firm in any respect prices. Any abuse won’t be tolerated and will probably be reported. Bullying and harassment don’t have any place, in our trade or in our wider communities.”
Whereas Lloyd by no means talked about the forged member on the receiving finish of the “deplorable racial abuse,” it is Amewudah-Rivers’ Instagram publish asserting her casting being flooded each with messages of assist for incomes the position and on-line trolls denouncing her choice as Juliet.
The brand new manufacturing of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy will mark Holland’s return to the stage for the primary time since he made his debut in Billy Elliot: The Musical when he was solely 12 years previous.
As for Amewudah-Rivers, Romeo & Juliet will mark her West Finish debut, however she has a ton of stage performing credit to her title, together with College Women; Or, The African Imply Women Play (Lyric Hammersmith), The Kola Nut Does Not Converse English (Bush), Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe), Antigone (Colchester Mercury) and Othello (Nationwide Youth Theatre REP Firm), amongst others.
In line with her bio on the Romeo & Juliet web site, Amewudah-Rivers studied performing on the Nationwide Youth Theatre REP Firm.
Romeo & Juliet runs from Might 11 till August 3 on the Duke of York’s Theatre in London.
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