Arts Minister 'Saddened' Over Cancelled Play

Arts Minister Carál Ni Chuilín said she was "saddened" to hear of the cancellation of a play declared as "blasphemous" by unionist councillors.

California-based The Reduced Shakespeare Company's 'The Bible: The complete Word of God (abridged)' was due to play at the Theatre At The Mill in Newtownabbey this month, but DUP Councillor Billy Ball raised objections because, he said, the play would offend Christians.

The Minister said: "I was disappointed to hear of the decision to cancel the production of The Bible: The complete Word of God (abridged). I know that the play has travelled extensively and been performed on the international stage for the past 20 years.

"I am saddened that audiences here will not be offered the opportunity to see the performance and judge for themselves the virtues of the show."

The play is described as "an affectionate, irreverent roller coaster ride from fig leaves to final judgment as the bad boys of abridgement tackle the great theological questions.

"Whether you are Catholic or Protestant, Muslim or Jew, Atheist or Jedi, you will be tickled by the RSC’s romp through old time religion."

But Mr Ball said the play was an attack on the beliefs of Christians.

"It should never have been accepted in the first place," he told the Newtownabbey Times. "For Christians the Bible is the infallible word of God and it’s not something to be made fun of. If this was the Koran we were talking about it just wouldn’t happen because they know there would be a big public outcry about it."

DUP councillor Mandy Girvan, who is a member of the Free Presbyterian Church, raised the issue at a meeting of a Newtownabbey Borough Council earlier in the week and called for the play to be pulled.

Austin Tichenor, co-author of the play, said: "We would love to invite this person to actually see the show, which is a light-hearted and very funny celebration of The Bible. The RSC has toured the show extensively across Ireland, USA, and UK for almost twenty years, including two runs in the West End.

"The company has even performed the show at the Jerusalem Festival in Israel without objection. Hundreds and hundreds of clergy members of all denominations have seen the show since its premiere in 1995 and have both endorsed it and recommended it to their congregations."

Sinn Féin Newtownabbey councillor Gerry O’Reilly said: "This is clearly an example of certain councillors forcing their religious views onto everyone else in the constituency. What the councillors are basically saying is that they can dictate what type of dramas people can view.

"This is censorship at its worse and I have not heard the like since the Life of Brian was banned in Belfast in 1979.

"What kind of a message is it to send out to the wider public, especially considering the great boost to the North from Derry hosting the City of Culture and the all Ireland Fleadh?

"It was actually agreed at the council on Monday that no decision was to be taken on the play until the full council meeting this week, clearly a public democratic decision has been circumvented.

"Newtownabbey Council is being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century and despite this set back we will continue to press the other councillors to recognise that it is indeed 2014."

The Arts Minister added: "I fully support the views of the Arts Council that the artist's right to freedom of expression should always be defended and that the arts have a role in promoting discussion and allowing space for disagreement and debate."

(IT/MH)