Leeds Playhouse- until 4th June 2022
Reviewed by Katie Goldsbrough
4****
The White Card takes place over an hour and a half in only two scenes. It begins with a privileged white couple trying to convince a black artist to let them buy her artwork over dinner. They are joined by their art dealer Eric played by Nick Blakeley and their activist son Alex played by CJ Coleman. Charles (Matthew Pidgeon) and Virginia (Kate Copeland) are art collectors who want to display art which portrays the struggles of the black community.
Charlotte (Estella Daniels) is a black artist who photographs reconstructions of violence against black people. The dinner soon turns in to a heated debate about race, white privilege and discrimination, with Charles believing he is helping to counteract racism by displaying the work of black artists. Virginia soon becomes defensive and wishes everyone would just get along, being unable to understand the struggles black people face on a daily basis. The only person who seemingly understands is their son Alex who is an activist supporting the BLM movement but even he struggles to understand some of what Charlotte is feeling.
The second scene takes place a year later as Charles visits Charlotte at her studio, we see him trying to defend himself and struggling to understand her point of view. This is an important play, written by Claudia Rankine shortly before the murder of George Floyd. Directed by Natalie Ibu, we’re shown how people are privileged simply by being born white, this is a conversation which needs to be had to build understanding and make people think. The play outlines how people can’t understand what it’s like to have someone avoid you simply due to the colour of your skin. The play is extremely thought provoking and gives you the opportunity to look at yourself and make sure you are not part of the problem.