Exclusive:Award-winning Scottish theatre play on slavery cancelled after serious allegations

The plug has been pulled on one of the biggest Scottish theatre productions of the year after the show became embroiled in behind-the-scenes allegations and a legal dispute.

A planned tour of Enough of Him, an award-winning play inspired by the true-life story of an African slave who won his freedom after a landmark court case in Scotland, has been scrapped weeks before it was due to get underway.

Serious allegations of sexual harassment, sexism, racism, bullying and discrimination are understood to have been made to senior management at the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS).

NTS, which was due to take a revival of the show across Scotland in October and November, has cited "unforeseen circumstances" for its decision. However, the planned run of the show is thought to have been abandoned after the departure of “key creatives” from the project.

Pete Dibdin

Written by May Sumbwanyambe and directed by Orla O'Loughlin, the play explored the life of Joseph Knight, who was brought to Scotland from the Caribbean by sugar plantation owner Sir John Wedderburn, and fell in love with a servant working in his Perthshire mansion.

Mr Sumbwanyambe confirmed to The Scotsman that NTS had investigated a complaint of sexual harassment, but said this had not been upheld after an appeal and there had been no police involvement. He said he had been in dispute with NTS for the past nine months and had made a number of allegations against the company in the summer.

Mr Sumbwanyambe said he had hoped that a mediation process would allow the tour to go ahead, but claimed he was told this week that NTS’s relationship with him had “broken down and is not retrievable”.

The play, which was expected to see Omar Austin reprise his lead role as Joseph Knight on the coming tour, was developed as a co-production by NTS and Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

Premiered during Black History Month in October 2022, it won three major honours at the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland – for best production, best new play and best director. 

The tour, which was due to visit the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, Dundee Rep, Perth Theatre and The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen, was cancelled weeks before venues are due find out whether they have secured Creative Scotland funding for the next three years.

A statement from NTS said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have cancelled the forthcoming tour of Enough of Him. We are very sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment this will cause for our audiences and for those involved in this production.

"All ticket bookers will be refunded by the venue they purchased tickets from as soon as possible. We will also ensure that all those contracted or due to be contracted to work on the production as freelancers will be paid.

“As an employer of Scotland’s exceptional theatre talent, we care deeply about the people we work with, whether directly or indirectly, and always operate with professionalism, integrity and fairness.

"The privacy of everyone we collaborate with is of the utmost importance, so like any professional organisation, we never disclose or discuss any matter of a personnel or personal nature. We are committed to creating and sustaining a positive working environment for everyone we work with.

"Continuous learning, reflection and review are part of our organisational culture to ensure this. We do not take lightly the decision to cancel a production. However, on this occasion, the production became unviable for the company to produce.”

Mr Sumbwanyambe said: “I did not agree with the decision to cancel the tour when it was made, and all I can say now is that I hope that some good comes from this that makes the NTS and our industry a safer, more inclusive and compassionate place for everyone.”