Play tackling racism to make world debut at Leamington theatre

Next week, Is This Seat Taken Productions will be presenting the new play called ‘I Didn’t Think I Was a Racist, but I Killed a Romanian’, in the Douglas Ford Studio at the Loft Theatre in Leamington.

The play, which was written by Steve Heath and directed by Greg Cole, tackles the issue of racism and pushes its audience to discuss and question the difficult issue.

Director Greg Cole said: “I am working with a writer that I knew many years ago. We lost contact then recontacted and I was sent this script.

“It took me three months to read it because you think ‘oh lord what is going to be in the script’ because of the title. But I pushed on and found it absolutely superb.

“The title makes people dance around it and the play is about underlying racism that seems to be prevalent in the country.

“I think it is superb and makes you think about how you perceive other people and how you rationalise the perception of ‘the other’ and I think it is going to be interesting for us to put on.”

The play is about Roy Jessop, who is a company man with noisy neighbours, that soon finds that his family, work and sanity are at stake, and, seemingly out of control, he commits a fatal act.

Mr Cole said: “The play is about a family that don’t quite understand the implications of their thoughts or actions and it is that ignorance that is still around in the 21st century.

“I can’t believe we are still fighting this fight. People don’t want to go backwards.”

Mr Cole highlighted that recent events such as Brexit and Donald Trump’s election as American President has continued to fuel hate speech.

He said: “With Brexit there is the figure of hate speech and it is in all of Europe.

“It is massively disconcerting that we are somehow starting to blame other people and are pointing fingers.

“It is really not the way to go forward and with the Trump campaign in America it is like going back to the ideas and ways of thinking of the 50s and 60s.”

The play will premiere on Tuesday and will run until Saturday April 8. Every showing will take place at 7.30pm.

On the Saturday, which is the final day of the play, there will be an afternoon showing at 2.30pm as well as the scheduled evening showing.

Both of these performances will feature a question and answer session at the end with the writer and director.

Mr Cole said: “One of the points of theatre is to challenge people and for them to go away after and say something and discuss it.

“That’s why we are doing a question and answer session as we want to engage people and to talk about this issue.

“Away from the hard hitting title and subject, the play is fundamentally a comedy with an underlying message we should all acknowledge.

“People need to come and see it because it is something new, fresh and something we should all be thinking about.”

To book tickets for the play go to www.loft-theatre.co.uk