Hosted by Upper Sixth girls, Nellie and Ellie, the panel of speakers included Jason Pennycooke, Francesca Peplow, Kim Tatum and Lauren Chia.

Nellie reports,

“I had the pleasure of co-hosting the Diversity in Theatre event and it was fascinating to hear about the experiences of the four panellists with regard to diversity in the world of theatre and the obstacles they have faced and overcome through their careers.

Ellie and I posed many of the insightful questions which came in from the Downe House pupils, staff and other prep schools watching the event. The enthusiasm and interest from our virtual audience was evident in the standard and volume of questions asking about race, gender, identity, disability and the future of theatre after COVID-19. As someone who identifies as LGBT and has been involved in theatre throughout my time at Downe House, it was amazing to hear how the panel had not let stigma get in the way of their acting or success. It instilled a sense of hope in all of us. However I have to say that the highlight of the event was definitely the cameo appearance by Kim Tatum’s dog, Lula. It certainly brought a lot of humour to the evening!

Thank you the the wonderful guest panellists for their time, to the Drama and Dance Department for organising the event and to the AV Department for their technical support for what was a very interesting and entertaining evening.”