Eugenie called to quit as patron of ‘racist’ theatre
PRINCE Andrew and the Duchess of York must have been delighted last month when Princess Eugenie was made royal patron of the Print Room at The Coronet. The family were out on Thursday enjoying a preChristmas dinner at a Mayfair restaurant (pictured right). However, the gilt has already come off the gingerbread as the Princess has become embroiled in an embarrassing race row at the West London arts venue and is being urged to revoke her patronage. The Print Room, previously an historic cinema that featured in the hit romcom film Notting Hill, has come under attack for ‘yellowface’ casting in its opening play, In The Depths Of Dead Love. Written by Howard Barker and directed by Gerrard McArthur, it has been condemned for using white actors despite being set in China and featuring Chinese characters.
A protest has been planned to coincide with the play’s opening night on January 19. It is being organised by Andrew Keates, who is directing a play called Chinglish at the Park Theatre in North London, which will feature East Asian performers.
He has written an open letter to the Print Room in which he says the venue should not be endorsing the ‘racist, outdated and unnecessary practice of “yellowface” and instead find actors who are appropriate’.
‘I think that Princess Eugenie should revoke her patronage,’ he tells me. ‘As a representative of British East Asians in this country, I do not see how she could lend her name to a theatre that is not supporting racial equality, either actively or through ignorance.’
Equity, the UK trades union for performers and creatives, has waded in to condemn the theatre.
General secretary Christine Payne says: ‘This casting clearly shows that the Print Room is not engaging with the industry-wide discussion on diversity.’
A spokesman for the Print Room says: ‘It is, in fact a very “English” play and is derived from thoroughly English mores and simply references the mythic and the ancient. It has therefore been cast accordingly.’