Romeo & Juliets Francesca Amewudah-Rivers Received Death Threats, Months of Racist Abuse: I Didnt Feel Safe at Work [Video]

The minimalist nature of the production did not help, according to Amewudah-Rivers, as the creative preferences for close-up camerawork and stark costuming and makeup left her feeling “very exposed” while performing. “Off the back of the abuse,” she said, “Having to stare down the camera lens and have my face be blown up in this theatre was really tough mentally.”

Amewudah-Rivers is now using her experience to publicly call for “industry-wide” action and protection for marginalized actors. “It is not enough to represent our communities onstage, there also needs to be an infrastructure of support,” she said in the interview. “Safety has to be at the forefront. We can’t do our best work if we don’t feel safe, if we don’t feel held, if we don’t feel understood. I think more needs to be done, especially because I know I’m not alone. I know other actors who have had similar …