Statement: Wales Theatre Awards Nominations

We are aware of the debate regarding the Wales Theatre Awards nominations for our production of The Golden Dragon.  Having discussed the situation at length, we felt that were we to have renounced the nominations, or stayed away from the ceremony, we would have been shirking our responsibility to maintain the open discussion and debate the protests initiated in October. There is no simple or immediate way to respond, other than to continue with renewed energy the work we have been doing since the Autumn. We have held extended and open discussions, in a friendly and constructive way, with our colleagues from across the theatre community, colleagues in the opera world, Equity representatives, and academics working in this area. 

 

Michael McCarthy, our Artistic Director, has blogged about the experience of the protests and the positive change they have already engendered in our work; this can be read on the MTW website.

We also held a public panel discussion at the Victoria & Albert Museum on November 12th 2017 to discuss the very pressing concerns regarding diversity and inclusion in opera, and Michael discussed the production and the controversy surrounding it on BBC Radio 3’s Hear and Now, broadcast on January 27th.

 

Our acknowledgment of the mistakes we made in producing The Golden Dragon is a matter of public record. We are committed to continuing an open dialogue with our fellow theatre practitioners, to listen and to share experiences in Wales and beyond, as we make plans for the future.