Union criticizes ‘censorship’ after play cancelled

Equity union has criticised a “growing culture of censorship” after a play was cancelled, reportedly following a row over references to the Israel-Gaza war and trans rights.

The Royal Exchange, Manchester’s leading producing theatre, has cancelled its entire five-week run of a modern version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Equity said it was “deeply frustrated” by the lack of transparency surrounding the cancellation and that it was in discussions with theatre executives to “protect the principle of artistic freedom.”

The theatre said it wanted to “work with artists who tackle complex issues” but the play faced “a number of challenges”.

He said those challenges included “injuries, a delayed technical week and late changes in the process.”

The Manchester Evening News reported that the show, which was set in the city’s current rave scene, was cancelled after managers objected to a song whose lyrics referenced trans rights and the phrase “free Palestine”.

Theater news site The Stage reported that one of the points of contention was the fact that the word “Free Palestine” was written on the set and featured in a rap.

Equity said union officials met with theater management on Wednesday and “were assured they were taking our concerns seriously.”

A statement read: “While we welcome this commitment, we remain deeply frustrated by the lack of transparency regarding the events leading up to the cancellation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“For Equity, this is about dignity at work and freedom of expression. We absolutely support the right of our members – artists, stage managers, creative team and everyone involved in production – to be treated with dignity and respect at work.

“We reject the growing culture of censorship created by funders and lobby groups. We fight for artistic integrity, as well as the dignity of our members and all workers.

“We remain in discussions with the management of the Royal Exchange to protect the principle of artistic freedom, guarantee the dignity of our members at work and ensure the integrity of our collective agreements.”

A spokesperson for the theatre said: “At the Royal Exchange Theatre we want to work with artists who tackle complex issues.

“Unfortunately, on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a number of issues arose that led to the decision to cancel production – including injuries, a delayed tech week and late-stage changes.

“Despite our best efforts, we were unable to stage the show as planned and have made the difficult decision to cancel the production. Every effort has been made to ensure the production can be presented on stage.”

Series director Stef O’Driscoll and the cast have not commented on the reasons for the cancellation.

The decision damaged the theatre’s credibility among some observers.

Actor Giovanni Bienne, a member of Equity’s LGBT+ committee, wrote on X: “Any director worth their salt who wants to tackle ‘complex issues’ will laugh and spit in the face of @rxtheatre every time they try to hire them.

“Working there will make you a stooge of the establishment. And who wants that reputation?”

Denise Fahmy, co-founder of the Freedom in the Arts group, wrote: “The production looks terrible – maybe that’s why @rxtheatre cancelled it – but once it’s commissioned, shouldn’t the audience decide whether they want to see it or not?”

The venue receives £2.4 million a year from Arts Council England, the body’s third-highest annual theatre grant, behind the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

A spokesperson for Arts Council England said all funding recipients “remain fully responsible for their operations, their artistic programme and the day-to-day management of their activities”.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority, one of the theatre’s other major funders, did not respond to a request for comment.

Last year, the Royal Exchange abolished its artistic director position and replaced it with a less senior creative director role.