BREAKING NEWS: West End theatre increases security after Tracy-Ann Oberman gets death threats over Jewish role
Death threats against EastEnders and Doctor Who star Tracy-Ann Oberman have seen a London theatre increase its security.
The Chrissie Watts star, 57, is currently starring as Jewish merchant Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice at the Criterion Theatre.
The reworked story is now set in 1930s London as fascism sweeps across Europe, with the female version of Shylock presented.
As a Jewish person herself, Oberman has opened up on the antisemitic hate she has received for the role which has led to threats against her life.
‘My identity has never felt a huge part of my creative life, but in recent years, particularly in the arts world, which likes to see itself as progressive and inclusive,’ she said.
She continued to Sky News: ‘I think I’ve ended up becoming a spokesperson for many Jewish people and allies in the arts who have often felt like a lone voice, who have felt intimidated and often felt frightened to talk about their identity. And I don’t think that is right.’
Addressing the increased security measures in the London theatre, she said: ‘You know, we’re living in very febrile times… I don’t understand how we’re living in a time where a Jewish actress who is putting on a production of The Merchant Of Venice is needing to have all this security, it just feels extraordinary.’
‘The industry should take note because if it was happening to other minorities, I’d like to think that people would be horrified,’ she added.
In an emotional op-ed with The Spectator, Oberman described the situation as a ‘dystopian nightmare’ and expressed her devastation over a rise of antisemitism amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
‘We’re on a 10-week tour and I’ve been moved beyond words at the reactions of audiences and critics. Yet for the last week, the production has had to have security men around keeping an eye on things. It’s like a dystopian nightmare,’ she wrote in the October 21 edition.