Whilst racism and discrimination needs to be addressed within the arts industry, I think we also need to address it among audiences too. Three incidents last season required us to eject patrons for their behaviour towards FOH staff. 2/

2/ But more than once I have had cause to experience adverse, racist reactions to seeing black singers on stage. One really stands out for me because of how low the complainant's expectations of us were. It was quite a few years ago.

3. I received an email from a patron who had been sitting in front of a couple for a performance in which the lead tenor was black. She axplained that the couple had been muttering, audibly, all through the show about how PC it was to cast a black singer in that role

4 And that it was presposterous to even think of doing so and was just nonsense. They giggled at scenes that they thought highlighted the preposterous of a black tenor and a white soprano. The patron was mixed race and in her words 'obviously black'.

5 She felt they were doing it for her benefit. She turned around and glared at them, then asked them at the interval to stop. Their response was to be outraged that she would acuse them of being racist. And they didn't stop much during the second half.

6 She hadn't raised it with the FOH staff because she simply didn't feel it would be met with a response from us. She was obviously angry and upset. So I telephoned her. She was still furious of course but had absolutely no expectations

7 She made it very clear that she thought we would brush over it and that she only wrote to make her point. I was mortified. But I asked her where she had been sitting and that I would be able to trace the couple in question with that information.

8 I called the person who had made the booking and explained that we'd had a complaint about his and his partner's behaviour vis the black singer. He again became outraged that he was being accused of racism. I asked him if he had said any of the things she had reported

9 He confirmed they had exchanged words and that she had been 'fidgeting about' and kept turning to give him 'dirty looks'. But had he made the remarks she reported? 'Well, it is bloody silly to cast a black man in that role' he said.

10 So I explained we would refund the tickets for the performances he had booked (quite a few) and that he was no longer welcome at OHP. When I called the woman back to explain what we had done, she was dumbfounded. She simply didn't expect it. That bothered me a lot.

11 We can't police what people think, but we can police what they say and do in our theatres. Racism has grown in recent years. To eject three people in one season was unheard of in my thrity years. As well as educating ourselves, we need to educate the audience too it seems.