Slavery play axed after sexual harassment and racism allegations

One of the biggest Scottish theatre productions of the year has been cancelled after a bitter behind-the-scenes row over allegations of sexual harassment and racism.
This autumn, the National Theatre of Scotland was supposed to revive an award-winning show called Enough of Him about the landmark court ruling freeing the African slave Joseph Knight.
Last week senior officials dropped an entire tour of the production — including dates in Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen — citing “unforeseen circumstances”. May Sumbwanyambe, the playwright, claimed the cancellation came after he fell out with officials over how they handled allegations of sexual harassment made against him — which were subsequently dismissed.
The Edinburgh writer, speaking to The Times, in turn accused theatre leaders of “unconscious” racial bias and said he had hoped the show could go on. Sumbwanyambe was accused of harassing an actress who said he had walked into a dark room with her and closed the door behind them in 2022. He admits he downed a bottle of whisky before the incident.
Early last year the NTS formally told him that his conduct had been “unacceptable and fell below the standard which we would expect from those who are involved in NTS productions”. But they added: “We did not find this to be sexual harassment.”
Sumbwanyambe told The Times he had apologised for his actions. He said: “The biggest thing I would change is joining in with all the drinking that evening. It definitely contributed to a series of bad choices. If I was more sober there is no way I would have accepted the invitation to go into that bedroom, And I certainly would not have accepted the invitation to enter the room with the lights still off.
“At the end of the day it’s just basic things about being professional around your colleagues at all times, even when you’re out of hours.”
But the playwright said he was deeply unhappy about how the allegations against him were treated. “I have made several claims about discrimination, bullying, victimisation and harassment about senior members of management at the National Theatre of Scotland,” he said. “Our relationship ultimately broke down when the NTS refused to follow their own company policies that stipulate how such complaints should be handled.”
Asked if he believed the NTS had been racist, he said: “Yes, I believe they have. While I don’t think they are necessarily bad people, I do think they have done unlawful and unethical things that amount to racism. My belief is that this is because of a deep level of unconscious bias. This has resulted in very unfavourable treatment where I as a black man have been treated one way, yet white women have not been held to the same standard or forced to face the same procedures.”
Sumbwanyambe said he had been told his play was cancelled because he imposed “pre-conditions” — an insistence that the NTS obeyed its own dignity at work policy, he says — on a proposed mediation process.
He added: “They have also cited additional external factors but to date the NTS has refused to detail to me what they are.” His play won three awards when it was first staged in 2022. It was to star Omar Austin as Knight, who was abducted in Guinea before being enslaved in Jamaica and then taken to Scotland by the West Indies plantation owner Sir John Wedderburn.
Knight fell in love with another servant and wanted to marry her — and successfully sued Wedderburn in the courts for his freedom. Some see this case as confirming that chattel slavery was illegal in Scotland. Knight, whose real African name was unknown, then disappeared from history.
One of the lawyers who helped him in his case was a young Henry Dundas, who later, as a highly controversial minister during the Napoleonic Wars, dragooned enslaved Africans into the British military.
In a statement first reported in The Scotsman on Saturday, the 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.”
A NTS spokesman said: “We refute in the strongest terms any allegations of racial bias or discrimination. We also refute the suggestion that National Theatre of Scotland would undertake any unlawful or unethical practices.”