School BANNED from staging production of Dreamgirls because of 'whitewashed' cast

A Yorkshire theatre school has had its planned production of Dreamgirls scrapped after the agency controlling the musical's rights withdrew permission over the composition of its cast.

Concord Theatricals pulled the licence from Gillian Banks Theatre School in Maltby, South Yorkshire, when it became apparent just a single black performer had been given a role in the show.

The school had already begun ticket sales for performances scheduled to open in June before the rights were rescinded.

This marks the first occasion that Concord has revoked script permissions for Dreamgirls since taking over management of the musical during the 1980s.

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The musical, penned by Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger in 1981, follows the journey of a black female vocal group called the Dreamettes as they achieve stardom during the 1960s and 1970s.

It was later transformed into a 2006 Hollywood film featuring Beyoncé in a leading role.

The narrative mirrors the real-life trajectories of legendary black American acts from that era, including the Supremes, the Marvelettes, the Temptations and the Shirelles.

Concord explained in correspondence with the school that the production "is a show about a time in black American music history when rhythm and blues blended with other styles of popular music, creating a new American sound."

The school, which has operated for close to five decades and currently teaches around 200 pupils, insisted it had attempted to assemble a diverse cast but was limited by who auditioned.

"We are just a little dance school in one of the most deprived areas of Rotherham, trying to give experiences to our students on a very small scale," the academy stated.

Gillian Banks Theatre School, which provides Lamda-accredited qualifications and once had Barry Chuckle of the Chuckle Brothers as a patron, maintained it "never had any intention to 'whitewash' this production".

The school emphasised it cast students purely on ability, saying: "Colour doesn't come into this anywhere for us, because everyone is equal and judged on their talent."

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Concord Theatricals told The Sunday Times efforts were made to settle the matter before taking action.

They added: "We also offered alternative titles from the hundreds of other musicals we had available to them."

The agency said following the casting announcement, it requested the school recast the production appropriately before ultimately withdrawing the licence.

According to Concord, the school had been explicitly told that Dreamgirls required a diverse cast reflecting the historical reality of its subject matter.

The school confirmed that while Concord had communicated via email, "there was nothing in the contract" specifying casting requirements.

"We are good people trying to give young people from all backgrounds opportunities on stage," the academy said.

They added that the situation "has all caused a lot of stress and anxiety and disappointment".

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