Where’s our freedom of speech?
21st October 2024Earlier this month, the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester cancelled the entire five-week run of A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Stef O’Driscoll citing references to the Israel-Gaza war and the phrases ‘free Palestine’ and ‘trans rights’ as the issues.
Speaking exclusively to The Stage, Stef O’Driscoll opens up about why and how the play was pulled, which has left the cast and crew feeling “devalued, invisible, problematic and unsafe”.
The production was a contemporary and exciting vision that O’Driscoll said blended “the worlds of Shakespeare and Manchester's current rave scene”.
There was certainly an audience for this so shouldn’t the theatre have let the people decide whether they wanted to buy tickets?
Pulling this production is a worrying and damaging situation for the theatre industry. It’s not the first time it has happened and sadly it won’t be the last.
Theatre has always been a platform for artists to explore complex ideas, push the boundaries, challenge the norms, and provoke the minds of audiences. Censorship stifles creativity and limits the scope of artistic expression and exploration.
Freedom of expression is essential in theatre. It gives creatives the freedom to express themselves and push the boundaries on a range of topics and sensitive issues without fear of retribution.
If new plays and adaptations incorporate contentious, controversial and uncomfortable themes then they should be told regardless. We shouldn’t suppress artists’ voices when telling stories built on their beliefs, ideas and experiences as it aids in limiting the quality of theatre accessible to audiences. Do we not want to improve society and our communities?
We should empower creatives to have their say, share their stories, have their voices heard and remind others just how diverse and exciting our world is. Controversial theatre often sparks important conversations around societal issues. We should want to make audiences feel uncomfortable and stir emotions so that we can start discussions, broaden people’s knowledge on subjects they know little about and open minds to different perspectives.
Rather than avoiding these topics, we should shine a light on them and put them centre stage.
Theatre has been in crisis for many years, and this is our chance to stage shows that appeal to minority groups. Give everyone a reason to come to the theatre. Theatre is so much better when it is diverse.
Why deprive our communities of stories they might need to hear, be inspired by and resonate with?
Theatre and the arts aren’t made for us to conform. It’s our chance to break away from the norm, provoke and challenge. We must have courage and belief in our work because soon we will be frightened of having an opinion and being controversial for fear of being judged or worse.
Perhaps we need to provide more trigger warnings so audiences can make an informed decision on seeing a show. After all, everyone has a choice.
Shows should not be cancelled because one or more groups are offended.
Following the cancellation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, unions Stage Directors UK and Equity intervened with Equity issuing a statement that criticised the lack of transparency from the theatre: “We reject the growing culture of censorship created by funders and pressure groups. We are fighting for artistic integrity, as well as dignity for our members.”
How are theatres and artists to keep working together positively and productively on important and potentially controversial themes without concerns of shows being pulled last minute?
We risk creating only agreeable or pleasant productions that aren’t thought-provoking, uncomfortable or diverse. Theatre will not thrive if we live in fear of being controversial.
At The Play’s The Thing Theatre Company, we ensure we tell stories that will resonate with our communities. We have covered a range of thought-provoking topics such as dementia, mental health, transgender, Windrush, miscarriages of justice and more. We also produce works from the classical canon. We are diverse and inclusive.
Our current project, Taking The Stage – supported by Arts Council England and staged at MK Gallery from 16th – 19th October - provides a platform for women playwrights to tell their new stories on all manner of exciting and controversial subjects. We will certainly not be cancelling any of these productions!
