Royal Court Theatre ‘apologises unreservedly’ for antisemitic character name

The Royal Court Theatre has issued an “unreserved” apology, following an internal enquiry into the naming of a non-Jewish billionaire villain as ‘Hershel Fink’.

In a statement issued today, the venue committed to make it “a space in which Jewish artists and other professionals can work without fear of antisemitism”.

This comes after fury within the community over the character’s name in the production of ‘Rare Earth Mettle’. The radical theatre, which has a history of staging plays that had angered many British Jews, claimed the naming of the character was an example of “unconscious bias”.

In a statement from Anthony Burton, Chair of the Royal Court Theatre, he said the venue “apologises unreservedly for the pain that has been caused around the production of Rare Earth Mettle.

“This incident fell short of the Royal Court’s own high ambitions in terms of inclusivity and anti-racism. It is committed to learning from it and clear actions have been put in place including specialist training on antisemitism.

“The Royal Court must and will become a space in which Jewish artists and other professionals can work without fear of antisemitism, as it always should have been.”

At the end of 2021, the Royal Court agreed to change the character’s name to Henry Finn, after critics such as Tracy Ann-Oberman, highlighted the antisemitic connotations of Hershel Fink.

However,  in December 2021, BBC London News aired promotional footage of the character – and confirmed reports that warnings had been given by Jewish staff to the theatre about the use of the name for the character.

In the fallout of the row, two major law firms, Kirkland & Ellis and Weil, Gotshal & Manges, withdrew funding for the theatre.

Actress Tracy Ann-Oberman said it was a “very good start. Opening up a wider conversation in the theatre industry about unconscious bias and prejudice especially in left-wing institutions.”