Vivian Panka, the star of the Mean Girls UK tour, has revealed she is 'scared to leave her house' while staying in Belfast after violent riots erupted in the city. The musical, which was scheduled to perform at the Grand Opera House, has had all its shows cancelled due to the ongoing disorder.
Shows Cancelled Amid Violence
The popular production was set to open on Tuesday night, but both matinee and evening performances have been scrapped. Police are preparing for what could be a third night of unrest, sparked by a recent knife attack.
Vivian, who made history as the first Black actress to portray Regina George, took to TikTok to share her experience but has since deleted the video. According to the BBC, she described the situation as 'very sad' and revealed she has been keeping her curtains closed out of fear.
'People are saying and doing things that I completely don't agree with, and it's very scary to be here right now, especially as a person of colour – but just I'm worried for everyone in our company,' Vivian said. 'There were fires in the street. The company that I work for and the theatre have decided to cancel yesterday's show, which was good.'
Fans Criticise Cancellation
The 29-year-old actress disclosed that some fans have messaged her, expressing anger over the cancellations. She urged them to consider the safety of the cast, particularly those who are people of colour, as 'people are actively targeting black people'.
'I just really wanna ask people to think before they send me a DM because I haven't left my house because I am scared to do so,' she explained. 'My blinds, I just opened them slightly to make this video, but they have been closed.'
Vivian emphasised that the cancellations were due to safety concerns for everyone, not just the company, and that it was 'not their choice'.
Safety Concerns for Cast
'I'm just very careful because I'm not even from this country,' she added, noting that she was born in the Netherlands and moved to London a few years ago. Vivian was cast as the head mean girl Regina George, originally played by Rachel McAdams in the film, back in March. She called it 'monumental' at the time, admitting she never thought she'd land the role despite 'always wanting to play' the legendary character.
Mean Girls The Musical was due to run from June 9 to June 20 at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, with no word yet on whether it will reopen. A spokesperson for the venue told the BBC: 'Given the uncertainty caused by the unrest in recent days, the producers of Mean Girls have taken the difficult decision to cancel the musical's run at the Grand Opera House. We know that customers will share our disappointment, and on behalf of the producers and the Theatre, we apologise for any inconvenience caused. Ticket holders will be contacted directly by email over the next few days regarding refund arrangements.'
