Arabic version: الملاك يأمرون بإغلاق نادي ديفاين بلايهاوس المؤقت في سيدني
Divine Playhouse, a new LGBTQIA+ pop-up club operating inside a deconsecrated church in Sydney’s CBD, has been ordered by its landlords to “cease carrying on offensive trade” and close the venue, organisers said.
According to ABC News, up to 70 people from Christian and Catholic groups gathered outside Divine Playhouse on July 8 to protest its opening night. The protesters, including groups named The Prodigal Sons and Fit For The Kingdom, complained about what they described as blasphemous imagery and called for a $100,000 NSW government grant to be withdrawn. Heaps Gay, which holds the lease, received a landlord notice demanding the venue stop the allegedly offensive trade by last Saturday or face lease termination.
The dispute has direct implications for artists and the city’s creative sector. City of Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller, who attended the opening night, said significant work and money had gone into transforming the former church into a creative space and argued that art and creativity are critical to the city’s economy. The Night Time Industries Association vice-chair warned that allowing offence to trigger eviction could put artists, comedians and queer spaces at risk.
Divine Playhouse organisers said they had acted in “good faith”, made changes prior to opening in response to concerns, and were seeking a “constructive resolution” after what they described as their landlord’s pre-emptive action forced the venue to close and cancel all events. Organisers also reported that Meta had temporarily shut down Divine Playhouse’s social media accounts and some LGBTQIA+ community accounts, including those of events collective Heaps Gay; some of those accounts were later reactivated.
Police confirmed about 70 people gathered on the opening night and said a 21-year-old man was issued a move-on direction, which he complied with. Heaps Gay said it was exploring its legal options regarding the future of Divine Playhouse and that the wellbeing of artists, audiences, event organisers and staff remained a priority.
What happens next: all future events at the location have been cancelled while Heaps Gay explores legal options, and NSW Police said officers would monitor another unauthorised protest planned for later in the week. The landlord has signalled lease termination is a possible outcome if the demanded conditions are not met.
Related sections: Australia/استراليا | Western Australia | New South Wales | General | Social/إجتماعية
