Do you remember the first time you attended the theatre? I was about 12. My friend’s dad was a conductor in an orchestra and the theatre was nothing new to their family. They had a spare ticket to a ballet performance of Romeo and Juliet at Sadler’s Wells, and were kind enough to invite me along.

I was learning to play the piano at the time, so I was beginning to appreciate classical music, but nothing could prepare me for the breathtaking sounds of the orchestra alongside the incredibly talented ballet dancers. Next, we saw The Phantom of the Opera, which was my first ever West End show.

I was obsessed with the drama of it all; the velvet interior of the theatre, the binoculars we used whilst sat in the balcony, and the little tub of ice cream we indulged in during the interval. This world was totally unfamiliar and completely fascinating to me, but I couldn’t help feeling out of place. The truth was, looking around the theatre at the rest of the audience made me question whether I was too young, too poor and too black to be part of this world.