The first season of his new company is all white men, and last week, the former director of the National Theatre got mad at those who suggested it should be more diverse – and of course the hit out at quotas. But, says one theatre scholar, Quotas are not about “compromising quality. We are not virtue signalling, ticking boxes, doing fiddly, pointless maths. We are recognizing that centuries of bias have just made it easier to see the worth in the work of white men and have given them readier access to the qualifications and awards and opportunities that serve as shorthand for skill. We are saying that since everyone says they’re committed to diversity but it still isn’t happening, maybe we need some simple rubrics to hold everyone accountable.”