‘Sensitivity Reading’ as Dramaturgy – can it really work?

Current debates in the theatre around racism have focused on ideas of ‘lived experience’ with the provocation to playwrights – ‘Is this your story to tell?’. ‘Sensitivity Reading’ has become one of ways of addressing this but it has given rise to a host of issues – eg, ‘at what point is a sensitivity reader brought into the production process’, or ‘does using a sensitivity reader take away the ability to make ‘risk-taking’ work’, or even ‘how do we deal with a marginalised group making work that is insensitive to another group’?

McInerny’s play – COMMON PEOPLE – has at its heart a relationship between GREGORY – a white gay Leather Master – and YVONNE – a black middle aged heterosexual nurse – over Midsummer’s night as GREGORY is dying in a hospice and wants to go out cruising for the last time. COMMON PEOPLE started from McInerny’s observations around the relationship between gay men and black women – not unproblematic….but absolutely fascinating.

Along with BAFTA winning Actor Rakie Ayola and Director Scott Le Crass this workshop will explore scenes from the three drafts of COMMON PEOPLE to illustrate the journey McInerny went on to identify stereotypes and challenge bias. Ayola will provide context from her career, and Le Crass will explore the director’s role in achieving this on stage.

Why don’t you come and join us? Bring your views and your willingness to participate as we collectively share the possibilities of creating characters and stories with greater confidence and genuine daring and complexity.

This event is supported by the Performance Research Hub.

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Writer – Nicholas McInerny

Theatre includes RED PRINCESS (Red Shift/Tour), BELLE FONTAINE (Soho Theatre/Waterloo East). THE INCREDIBLE DOCTOR GUTTMANN (OTC/Tour) and SHAKER (ICA/Tour). TV includes 30 episodes of THE BILL (Freemantle Thames), ALWAYS AND EVERYONE (Granada). Audio includes 40 Radio plays including four series of HOW TO HAVE A PERFECT MARRIAGE (BBC R4). He also produced award winning Podcast RAINBOW DADS – Stories of Gay and Bisexual Dads – and RAINBOW MUMS - https://rbd2019.podbean.com/. He has appeared on DRAGON’S DEN - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMXSP9NPkLI

Actor – Rakie Ayola

Rakie Ayola's acting credits span a significant career in film, television, and theatre, including West End roles in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night Time, and television appearances in Noughts & Crosses, Shetland, Holby City and Doctor Who. Her extensive theatre work includes performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company and a BAFTA-winning role in the television drama Anthony.

Director - Scott Le Crass.

Recent work includes Jab (Finborough Arms/Nominated for 3 off West End Awards 2024), Rose by Martin Sherman starring Maureen Lipman (West End/Hope Mill Theatre/Sky Arts/Broadway HD – Nominated for Brest Creative West End Debut Stage Awards 2023, Off West End and Broadway World nomination for Best Director 2022, Toxic (UK tour/HOME, Manchester), Buff (Vault Festival/Edinburgh Fringe/Plymouth Theatre Royal), Country Music (Omnibus Theatre. In 2022, he completed the National Theatre Director’s Course.