“I heard Viola Davis and a few others were hiring cinemas in the States to get young people who couldn’t normally afford it to see the film because they thought it was important. I felt that exact way, that young black people particularly needed to see this film.
“South East London is where I grew up and I knew there are a lot of young people in the area who could benefit from seeing Black Panther. I put up a GoFundMe page, Tweeted it, and it chimed with people.
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“So I hired the smallest screen at the Peckhamplex cinema. But as we raised more, we kept upgrading until we got the biggest screen and brought 200 kids to see the film – with free smoothies, free popcorn, and Disney donating some merch.
“It was such a special day. The young people watching it together, with their peers, not having to feel like they were being disruptive – they were very vocal, really responded to the film. And I got friends on board – the actor Paapa Essiedu and one of the stunt girls from the film to be on a Q&A to answer questions about the industry.”
When we did the Shakespeare trilogy, it was a proper shared experience. We felt like we were making change
What’s next – a Black Panther Peckham sequel of sorts? Possibly. But also a push to widen and diversify theatre audiences.
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“When we did the Shakespeare trilogy, it was a proper shared experience. We felt like we were making change. And there is much more you can do with theatre – you need to actively engage new audiences.
“We worked in prisons [with the Clean Break Theatre Company] talking about the themes of the plays, performed them in prisons and schools. And the Donmar did free tickets for under 26s to be on the front row – because there is no point doing all this if young people can’t afford to go.
“It was a great start but more of that that can be done in the theatre. We gave some of the money left over from Black Panther Peckham to the Black Ticket Project.
“I remember going to the theatre maybe twice with my school – it was never in my mind to use my money to go to the theatre, it felt like a luxury, it felt elitist.
“It is difficult if you save all your money to go to a big show and you get the cheapest ticket so you are at the back behind a post. It is easy to think you the theatre is not for you. Lots of theatres are trying to expand their audiences – but some have to work harder. Some theatres don’t understand how alien they can feel.
“The more I work, the more say I may have, or the more sway, and the more you can do with it. With Black Panther, it surprised me how many people sat up and listened. It was kinda powerful to realise how much we can do and how relatively easy it is. I mean, I nearly had a heart attack trying to get it done, I am not an organiser. But I jumped in. I told people I was doing it so I had to make it happen. Sometimes that is the best way.”
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Photo: Matt Writtle/Eyevine
