Kit Harington and Olivia Washington are defending the UK production of Slave Play‘s “Black Out” nights.
Both co-stars have talked at length about how Slave Play‘s two all Black audience nights are meant as a way to reclaim the theatrical space from the white gaze. However, detractors felt that the nights were racist and excluded audience members from other ethnic groups from supporting playwright Jeremy O. Harris.
Washington, the daughter of Denzel and Pauletta Washington, said to the BBC (via Atlanta Black Star), “To see Black and brown people in a 900-seat theater, I’d never experienced that as an audience member.”
“It was very special for me to experience in doing this play because…it’s a difficult subject matter. It can get difficult for people to hear, however, to feel supported by this room in a different kind of way. …It felt really great.”
Harington also praised the idea of “Black Out” nights, saying that he’s learned how uplifting it can be for Black audience members.
“I’ve come to realize and believe that it’s an incredibly positive thing and we had our first Black Out night the other night. It was an incredible show. The energy on stage and in the audience was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”
“Number one, if you are white, no one’s stopping you buying a ticket, it’s not illegal to buy a ticket for that show, if you want to come. It’s saying, ‘We would prefer the audience to be this,” he said. “Number two, I’ve been going to the theater since I was young with my mum. I’ve only ever really known predominately white audiences. It is still a particularly white space. To have the argument that ‘Oh, this is discriminating against white people,’ is, I think vaguely strange and ridiculous.”
