Adjoa Andoh Highlights Inclusive Casting at Folger Residency
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- Adjoa Andoh addressed an audience at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, acknowledging that some of her work may appear “Black or colour‑centric” because of societal silos.
- Adjoa Andoh missed an FA Cup semi‑final to join the Folger’s director’s residency programme, which included consulting the library’s collection, public programmes, school visits, and a screening of her 2019 Richard II production at Shakespeare’s Globe.
- Adjoa Andoh participated in a staged reading commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Federal Theatre Project’s all‑Black cast production of Macbeth, a New Deal‑funded effort that created jobs for unemployed artists.
- Adjoa Andoh highlighted the politics of identity‑conscious casting, noting her own all‑women‑of‑colour Richard III productions and discussing the debate over casting disabled actors in Richard III and LGBTQ+ roles.
- Adjoa Andoh is a star of Netflix’s Bridgerton, playing Lady Danbury, and co‑director of Swinging the Lens, a production company that aims to uncover marginalized histories.
- Adjoa Andoh warned that recent “war on woke” actions, such as DEI rollbacks under President Donald Trump, threaten support for women and minorities in the arts and corporate world.
Why it matters: Andoh’s advocacy gives under‑represented actors a visible champion and pressures institutions to retain inclusive casting practices, while the Trump‑era DEI cutbacks risk curtailing funding and opportunities for women and minority artists, potentially narrowing the cultural narrative presented on stage and limiting audience exposure to diverse histories.
