The Stage

Theatre ditches BNP volunteer drama teacher

Published Tuesday 25 April 2006 at 13:30 by Alistair Smith

A Kent drama teacher has been ousted from her job following revelations that she has worked as a volunteer for the British National Party.

Emma Chamberlain, drama co-ordinator for the Astor Theatre in Deal near Dover, has been informed by the venue that her contract will not be renewed. The move comes shortly after local press reports showed Chamberlain fronting the political party’s online television service BNPtv and interviewing leading party members including Mark Collett, the former chairman of the BNP’s youth wing.

According to the Dover Express, Chamberlain was recently recruited as the “glamorous new face” of the BNP. She has presented several editions of a news programme which can be downloaded from the party’s website.

Jon Johanson, the Astor’s artistic director, told The Stage that Chamberlain’s contract had not been renewed by the theatre’s management and she would stop working for the venue “with immediate effect.”

The organisation’s decision to remove Chamberlain from her position comes despite insistences from management at the venue that her political beliefs had not affected her work and widespread praise for the level of results she has achieved. The theatre’s website reports a 100% pass rate in London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art accredited examinations for children in her classes, which involve youngsters aged up to 14.

Following initial reports of the drama teacher’s involvement with the right-wing political party, theatre officials held meetings over the Easter period to consider her position before deciding not to renew her contract.

Phil Edwards, national press officer for the BNP, complained that the decision to remove Chamberlain amounted to a “witch hunt.” He added: “Questions need to be asked why decent, honest people should be treated badly for being a member of a legal political party. It is a witch hunt and a disgrace. Who will be next? Who will be the next victim of political correctness?”

However, the revelation that Chamberlain had worked for the BNP produced an angry reaction from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser who is reported as describing the party an “evil, fascist organisation.” He added: “If my child were in that class, I would take them out immediately.”