Sensitivity reading as a form of dramaturgy – can it really work?
Nicholas McInerny (Conted) tells us about his workshop on 25 October, which was supported by the Performance Research Hub's Participatory Performance Programme.
I approached this workshop with great trepidation. I first started writing COMMON PEOPLE in 2020 – at the beginning of Covid. It has at its heart the relationship between Gregory – a cis white gay Leather Master – and Yvonne – a cis black middle aged heterosexual nurse – over a boilingly hot midsummer’s night as Gregory is dying in a hospice and wants to go out cruising for the last time. I was inspired by my observations about the relationship between gay men and black women – not unproblematic, or stereotypical, or imbalanced – but always – at least to me – fascinating, and vibrant - and beautifully contradictory.
I started by quoting Chekov (badly) – ‘The point of drama is not to give answers, but to frame the questions correctly’ – before describing some context – ‘The mutual fondness between so many black woman and white gay men arises both from similar, if not shared experience. Black women have kindred spirits in white gay men. Don’t push us away’ (Simon Friess, Time Magazine, 2016) – versus – ‘Black women throughout history have had to struggle and fight within a misogynistic structure from black men and again within a racist social structure created by white men. Let's not feed into that by stripping them of their own identity and wearing it as a mask.’ (Steve Donnan, Huffingdon Post, 2015)
Theatre is above all things a collaborative art form, so I welcomed input as part of best practice. Recent debates have focused on ideas of ‘lived experience’ with the provocation to playwrights – ‘Is this your story to tell’? I wanted to demonstrate how the process of Sensitivity Reading – with its emphasis on avoiding stereotypes and challenging unconscious bias – could make for more authentic writing and present exciting alternatives.
I was hugely lucky in having actors Rakie Ayola and Ian Hallard present, alongside director Scott Le Crass – who have all worked on COMMON PEOPLE. We read an initial scene from the very first draft (November 2020) and then led a discussion on how I had approached the characterisation of Yvonne in which I highlighted feedback I’d received from black colleagues that had been enormously helpful – for example issues around ‘professionalism’ and awareness of personal hygiene that were transformative. What is more, this discussion then broadened out into examples of how Rakie, Ian and Scott dealt with potential problems around, say, gender, sexuality and class in their own work. We acknowledged the problems that can arise around potential ‘policing’ of work – and also the central role of the audience, who want their theatre to be complex, nuanced and above all – memorable.
We finished by reading the same scene from the fifth draft (January 2025) to illustrate the development of both Gregory and – both importantly – Yvonne’s character.
I attach both scenes below. You can judge for yourself.
