Top drama school apologises to I May Destroy You stars for racism
Guildford School of Music and Drama apologises to I May Destroy You stars Michaela Coel and Paapa Essiedu for ‘appalling’ racism after teacher used N-word while playing prison officer searching for drugs in improv session
- The Guildhall School of Music and Drama has apologised for ‘appalling’ racism
- Michaela Coel and Paapa Essiedu were in an improvision when N-word was used
- Teacher, playing prison officer, used it when ‘searching’ students for drugs
- The prestigious institution said that the racism is ‘unacceptable’ and ‘appalling’
A top drama school has apologised to I May Destroy You stars Michaela Coel and Paapa Essiedu for ‘appalling’ racism after a tutor used the N-word while teaching them.
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama has apologised to the stars and other alumni for the racism they experienced, with a spokesperson describing it as ‘unacceptable’ and ‘appalling’.
Both Mr Essiedu and Ms Coel and were in a group improvisation about a prison officer searching for drugs when a teacher, playing the officer, used the offensive term.
‘Suddenly she shouted: “Hey you, N-word, what have you got behind you?”,’ he told the Guardian.
Mr Essiedu said the duo were ‘shellshocked’ by what she had said, and stayed in the improvisation.
A top drama school has apologised to I May Destroy You stars Michaela Coel (right) and Paapa Essiedu (left) for ‘appalling’ racism after a tutor used the N-word while teaching them. Pictured at the Emmy Awards in 2021
‘We were like: “No we haven’t got anything behind us.” We were shellshocked by what had happened and shocked that it had come out of the mouth of a teacher,’ he said.
Mr Essiedu said that the comment was ‘loaded in a million different ways’, and shows a ‘lack of respect and understanding’.
The actor, who played Kwame in Ms Coel’s award-winning television drama I May Destroy You, said he was also told that he spoke as though his mouth was ‘full of chocolate cake’.
Ms Coel has previously referred to what happened when she spoke at the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2018.
A spokesperson for the drama school, which has been ranked in the global top 10 performing arts institutions, said: ‘We have since undertaken a sustained programme of action to address and dismantle longstanding systemic racism within the acting programme, including commissioning an external report into historic racism and a comprehensive and ongoing process of staff training and reflection.’
Mr Essiedu has also criticised the syllabus at the school, and recalled doing comedies ‘such as Man of Mode’ about ‘slave owners’.
‘These plays ask a very different question of a black or brown actor whose ancestry might have been negatively impacted by those particular people than they do of actors who don’t have that same historical context,’ he told the Guardian.
In its response, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama said that it has ‘undertaken a significant redevelopment’ of its curriculum.
Mr Essiedu has also criticised the syllabus at the school, and recalled doing comedies ‘such as Man of Mode’ about ‘slave owners’. Pictured at the Emmy Awards in 2021
‘Our teaching and learning culture prioritises inclusivity, representation and wellbeing,’ the spokesperson added.
‘We understand that this work is long-term and will require sustained commitment to build a culture that is inclusive and equitable for everyone.’
This year, a report from the Diversity School Initiative documented ‘casting bias’, ‘racism’ and ‘widespread harassment’ in multiple institutions.
Rada, which is no longer linked with the initiative, has previously been accused of not addressing concerns over ‘race, class, disability and sexual harassment’.
In 2020, Gavin Henderson, then principal of the Royal Central School of Speech resigned over ‘systemic racism’ claims from students.
He had previously said that quotas risked lowering the quality of students at the college.
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