*Munya Chawawa says his stint in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Chichester Festival Theatre exposed him to more bigotry than he had ever seen.
In a social media post, the comedian and actor described the racist, xenophobic and homophobic treatment the cast and their guests encountered in Chichester.
“I think I saw more in those six weeks than I have seen in my entire lifetime, which is just an insane concept,” Chawawa said, according to The Argus.
The most serious incident came on Oct. 13. The theatre pulled that evening’s performance after an assault on a company member, which it described as an “appallingly abusive attack.” Sussex Police said a group of young cyclists reportedly trailed and verbally abused a man in his 20s near Little London car park. Officers are investigating it as a homophobic hate crime.
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Theatre leaders Justin Audibert and Kathy Bourne said they were “appalled and profoundly saddened” by the abuse. “It’s deeply dismaying that the nationwide increase in toxic and aggressive behaviour is being reflected in our city,” they said.
For Chawawa, that night was “just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Initially we tried to find the humour in it, maybe as a coping mechanism, being stared at in the street, watched, followed by people’s gaze,” he explained.
The hostility only intensified from there. Chawawa described slurs shouted at BRIT School students and other visitors, plus friends who were harassed all the way to their hotel. “It was just utterly abysmal,” he said.
Chawawa traces the hostility to a steady flood of hateful content.
“My first thought was, it’s worked. You know, this 24-7 pipeline of hatred into people’s eyes and ears has actually changed people in the street,” he said. “From what I experienced, it was anyone who was remotely different, different creed, different colour, different sexuality.”
Chawawa ended on a grim note. “If that is a preview of what is to come, where a group of school kids can’t even walk ten minutes down the street without being racially abused, it’s bleak,” he said.
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