I have a part every year in a Lancashire Pace Egg play. It's like a mumming play but specifically done at Easter. We black our faces. It has been done in and around Lancashire for many hundreds of years and seems to have connections to the crusades. It's a play about St George and includes characters like the Black prince of Paradyne (Born of high renown) and Hector (the knight) and Bold Slasher , the doctor , old Bold Ben etc etc.

It is simply an easter revival play and absolutely no reference is made to race or skin colour (The Black Prince of Paradyne refers to him being black of character not skin colour) although there is a character called the King of Egypt no reference is made to his race apart from the calling on line of "I am the King of Egypt" , in fact no real mention is made of Easter apart from a recurring line "before I am three days old". The only possible offensive line could be the King of Egypt saying "Oh cursed Christian , what is this thou hast done" For you to ask us to remove the face paint (or make it blue or green) would stop an old tradition in it's tracks. Yes we have done it at Machester and Lancaster universities as part of a street theatre workshop , if you know the geography of Manchester then you know the university is minutes walk from Moss Side a predominately Afro-Carribean cultural area.

To be accused of being racist for pursuing a centuries old local tradition is extremely offensive to me.

Spot the Dog