Footlights has faced accusations that its committee — fewer than a dozen people deemed to be official members — is too white. At present all 11 members are white, while 15 per cent of the student body are from BAME (black and minority ethnic) backgrounds.
In an open letter Ruby Keane wrote: “The committee system seems to be a leftover from a time when there were only around ten white men who did comedy in Cambridge. Thankfully, this is no longer the case, and so we must redesign the society to reflect and foster the diverse comedy scene we now have in Cambridge.”
The remaining members of the Footlights committee said: “We wish Ruby well but we cannot acknowledge her resignation as one of protest.” They said the committee was already in favour of reforms to improve diversity.
