04 July 2011
Posted in
Theatre
A statement from the Writers' Guild of Great Britain
The Writers' Guild is extremely concerned to learn a new community opera by Lee Hall has collapsed following the playwright’s refusal to remove gay references from the story.
Hall had joined forced with Opera North to create the libretto for Beached, an opera featuring 300 primary school children from Bridlington. The project ran aground when the school objected to a gay character making reference to his sexuality. Opera North asked for lines to be cut and when Hall declined, the school withdrew from the project.
The move harks back to the now repealed Section 28, the clause in a Conservative local government act which forbade teachers, local authorities and, indeed, arts companies from 'promoting homosexuality' in schools. Although no one was prosecuted under the act, there was considerable evidence of self-censorship.
The Writers’ Guild strongly endorses Hall’s resistance to the censorship of his work today and applauds his decision to make the controversy public. At a time when 'gay' is known to be a playground taunt, it is particularly worrying that a writer’s defence of a character’s sexuality should be deemed 'age-inappropriate' for primary school children.
Guild President David Edgar commented: 'It’s a sad day on which Nick Kent resigns as Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre over a £350,000 cut and a Lee Hall community opera is censored. It’s deeply regrettable that an opera company has failed to back a writer over the presence of a gay character in his work.
'This incident is part of an increasingly timid spirit in the arts. Last year a public booking for Philip Ridley’s play about the far right – Moonfleece – was cancelled because the issues of the play were deemed unsuitable for a community school setting. Now a scene in which a gay man fights back against bullying is deemed inappropriate for a community opera.
'As Lee Hall himself points out, his Billy Elliot – which contains a prepubescent gay character – has spoken up for tolerance and diversity, on stage and screen, all over the world”.
Update (07.07.2011): An agreement has now been reached and the opera will go ahead
Comments
Of all bodies to raise objection to a gay character in an Opera, it is disheartening that it is an educational body. How do we expect kids to rise above prejudice, if we as adults continue to discriminate against others?
Whether we want to believe it or not, accept it or not, some of those very kids are gay, so why shouldn't they be represented. Am I to believe if the scene was about a man declaring his preference for beautiful women, that it would be considered age inappropriate? I doubt it - As such this is pure bias, and a choice to continue demonizing homosexuals.
Shame on those schools that raise objection - Love and sex are not the same, and persons who can't make this distinction have no right instructing children.
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