With the re-election of Donald Trump, whose campaign messaging frequently seemed to descend into well-worn racist tropes, and concern about right-wing extremism in our own country, the timing of a programme reboot by Talawa Theatre Company will be welcomed by many in the arts community.
The group is highly regarded, having established itself as one of the leading black British theatre companies since its inception over 35 years ago. As such, its mission is to support and platform artists of black African and Caribbean heritage and diaspora putting on plays that not only speak to that community but enlighten a much wider audience.
However, the company also seeks to do much more to promote better race relations than merely stage high quality productions. Talawa has recently launched a new iteration of the Unconscious Bias, Anti-Racism and Diversity training programme, popularly known by the acronym UBARD. Available both face-to-face and remotely, “this renewed and dynamic participatory training will equip teams with the tools and frameworks to address and challenge racism in their working environments and across the wider sector.”
The training programme is delivered by experienced facilitators who have a wealth of social inclusion and diversity knowledge. It is not only geared to assisting those working at and with Talawa but also marketed to a much wider audience.
This will have dual benefits for Talawa, which not only spreads the word and helps to reduce racism but, at the same time, should help to build the coffers at a time when all arts organisations are desperately struggling for income to overcome the aftermath of the pandemic lockdown and, hard on its heels, the cost-of-living crisis.
In its previous incarnation, the programme proved popular, being introduced to the likes of RADA, LAMDA, Paines Plough, Watford Palace and the Watermill in Newbury, which must be a testament to the positive responses from those that tested out.
Now, designed to be even better, it comprises three stages:
- Unconscious Bias
- Impacts of Racism
- Role-Modelling Allyship.
The approach is bold, taking participants into situations that are intended to “provoke un-comfortability and questioning of self and the society we live in.”
Mirroring the Black Outs utilised by American playwright Jeremy O Harris at performances of Slave Play on both sides of the Atlantic to make minority audiences feel more comfortable, some sessions are designed specifically to be delivered exclusively to those from racialised backgrounds.
The idea behind the project is nicely summarised by Talawa’s Training Coordinator Amelia Michaels when she says, “Talawa Theatre Company aims to dismantle the systems that create a lack of safety for and exclusion of racialised people, whilst holding their lived experiences and expertise at the centre of our work. The participant has been at the forefront of our minds in this redesign process, whilst encompassing as best we can the current landscape of racism in the UK. I feel confident that this training will serve as a catalyst for institutional change within all the organisations it touches.”
This kind of project is so valuable that perhaps Talawa might consider extending it beyond the theatrical community and offering training programmes to commercial organisations. This would make perfect economic sense and spread the message to businesses that may be less tuned into the principles of racial equality than those in the arts, where the message has generally been propagated widely and to welcoming audiences for far longer than in the country at large.