Michael Attenborough is the artistic director of London's Almeida Theatre. He is also director of their production of Big White Fog by Theodore Ward, running at 2hr 10 minutes including interval, from Friday 11 May 2007 to Saturday 30 Jun 2007 (see www.almeida.co.uk). Today he hosts a reception for the cast.

The Attenborough family - Michael's father is the equally distinguished Richard Attenborough, actor and director - have for many years been associated with progress for equality between people with white and black skins. Richard Attenborough's film Cry Freedom (1987) - about the relationship between Donald Woods and Steve Biko - looked critically at apartheid in South Africa. Michael Attenborough today introduces a drama about the dilemma within a family in 1920's USA - whether to return to Africa after generations of forced removal to America, or take their chances with the American dream. It's a significant step for a theatre which its artistic director mentions (below) has a 'fundamentally white middle-class audience'.

Michael Attenborough is a cuddly sort of chap, with a friendly face and wild artistic white hair - reassuringly theatrical. He says: 'A huge warm welcome. We have all kinds of different communities. I'd like to say why we are here. Michelle (Abbey, see below) and Kim (Morgan, see below) are ambassadors for this production (Big White Fog). I think we're sitting around something historic, something very particular that we're discovering. It's a serious piece based on the lives of African Americans. This is astonishingly early (first staged in 1937), it's accurate, honest and real. Theodore (Ted) Ward was the sixth child of eleven kids. He took to the freight trains and ended in jail. He started to write, determined and self-educated, and was part of the community this play is about. The play looks at three generations of one family across 10 years - 1922-32. Part of the family want to return to Africa, the other part want to make a better life in Chicago. He was writing about people he knew - it has authenticity - it's not just an interesting specimen, the lines resonate today. Some things have changed - huge things haven’t. I didn't hesitate to take on this play. They are wonderful parts. This is one heck of a good cast. It's beginning to crackle like a fire. I couldn't speak after the end of a scene (in which a character hits rock bottom). I can only commend it to you. It's a great opportunity.'

Janine Shalom (see below) asks 'What is it going to look like?' Michael Attenborough: 'It's going to look rigorously real. Every (item) is going to look absolutely authentic. I hope - what we aspire to - what you’ll see will be 1922, what you’ll feel is 2007.' Michelle Abbey says 'I am very grateful to be part of the Almeida', and speaks about accessibility within the arts. Michael Attenborough: 'I came here five years ago. This is a fundamentally white middle-class audience. It doesn’t represent Upper Street (the main street outside the theatre). It should represent that community. This is not just any black play. I wanted to wait for the right one.'

Michelle Abbey: 'I hope it will have a ripple effect and open up the door for more black theatre.' Michael Attenborough: 'I would love to show you the auditorium.' (He says this to all present, rather than as a romantic invitation to lovely Michelle - but who knows?) Michael leads the way into the theatre, explaining that it was built in 1837. He shows the set to the 25 or so people present, including the cast, and the area below the stage. The theatre is a modern-looking building, with the 320-seat auditorium including stalls and balcony incorporating the old part - with its fine curved brick wall at the rear of the stage - in a subtle way. The new part of the building includes a bar that does food, and across Almeida Street, there's a restaurant called Almeida. It's not, in fact, associated with the theatre, but looks as if it is - the restaurant sign confusingly uses a similar font.

The people mentioned above - Kim Morgan, Michelle Abbey, Janine Shalom - are highly influential players in London's theatre and arts, emphasising the heavy artillery Michael Attenborough is deploying for the Almeida's move into black theatre:

Michelle Abbey describes her work as 'Audience development - making the arts accessible to new audiences. There are two audiences. I want to bring the arts to grass-roots communities. There's a whole wealth of Black middle-class audiences that have been excluded from the arts as well. Diversity includes, for example, deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences who are just as likely to be white. And bringing children into the arts. I come from Liverpool - ten generations of my family were born there. I would also call myself Black English. Me and my children are the first generation of my family to access the arts.'

Kim Morgan's work embraces at least two major categories. In one, she is an audience development specialist within the black community across the arts and with social projects such as Step Festival (and see Step Festival Launch). In another she is a well-known theatre and comedy PR covering West End and Fringe productions; Kim has been in-house press officer for The Pleasance in Edinburgh, and at Theatre Royal Stratford - following legendary publicist Mark Borkowski (Fringe Report Award 06). Michelle Abbey and Kim Morgan together also carry out similar work to that involved in today's meeting (introducing new audiences for the arts) for organisations and events such as London Philharmonic Orchestra's Launch.

Janine Shalom is Almeida's press specialist, and a former member of staff at the Almeida, and at the National Theatre. In 2004, Janine founded the theatre department at Charles McDonald and Jonathan Rutter's pr company McDonald & Rutter, which was acquired in 2006 by Premier PR's CEO Sara Keene. Premier PR has for many years been a prime pr company for film and television in the UK and USA, and organises press for (among other major events) the London Film Festival. In theatre work Janine Shalom's theatrical department at Premier is currently associated with productions including Billy Elliot, Boeing Boeing (Roger Allam, Frances de la Tour, Mark Rylance, Tamzin Outhwaite), Spamalot, The 39 Steps, Wicked. The company also represents The Tricyle Theatre in Kilburn, a long-standing specialist house in multi-cultural theatre with an outstanding reputation.

Those present today include the cast (in alpha order): Ayesha Antoine (Caroline), Tony Armatrading (Daniel Rogers), Martin Barron (Patrolman), Aaron Brown (Nathan Piszer), Lenora Crichlow (Claudine), Clint Dyer (Percy Mason), Jenny Jules (Ella), Tunji Kasim (Lester), Al Matthews (Count Strawder), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Wanda), Novella Nelson (Martha Brooks), Susan Salmon (Juanita), Danny Sapani (Victor Mason), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Older Phil/Count Cotton), Gynn Sweet (Bailiff), Tony Turner (Marks/Lieutenant). Michael Attenborough, Janine Shalom, Michelle Abbey, Kim Morgan. Almeida's head of marketing Jane Macpherson; and marketing colleague Cherry Williams who describes Almeida's output as ‘innovative, cutting edge, risk-taking theatre’ - gorgeous Cherry clearly has theatre pr coded into her DNA. Barbara Deroy Badejo works with West African Community radio stations. Accountant David Frederick (Jamaican Heart Foundation, Business Enterprise Centre finance and accountancy specialist for various London boroughs, lecturer in finance and accountancy). David's daughter Adanma Frederick is extensively involved in fringe theatre, but not here today as she is taking exams for her classics degree. Sam Tsipotey (West African Digital Radio, Victim Support Head Office, involved in various Ghanaian community groups). Reverend Mark Shelton and Mrs Tina Shelton are from Cross Street Baptist Church opposite the Almeida, but have not previously been inside.

John Park - Friday 27 April 07 - Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, Islington, London, N1 1TA - (c) www.fringereport.com