PLAYWRIGHTS FOR A CAUSE Benefit Canceled by Venue Due to Artistic Content

Playwrights For A Cause, an evening of plays by award-winning playwrights Erik Ehn, Halley Feiffer, Israel Horovitz and Neil LaBute, and a panel discussion concerning censorship in climate science and more inclusion of LGBT, women, and minorities in the arts, originally scheduled for June 14, 2015 at The Sheen Center at 18 Bleecker Street, has been canceled by the management of The Sheen Center.

Although their management originally approved the event and accepted full payment for the venue, a recent change in management resulted in the Center's decision that some of the speeches the panel speakers were going to make, along with Neil LaBute's play Mohammed Gets A Boner, are not acceptable or compatible with their mission statement. The diverse panel of speakers included Cecilia Copeland, speaking on the censorship of women in the arts; Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, speaking on the censorship of environmentalists and climate scientists; Michael Hagins, speaking on the censorship & underrepresentation of minorities in the arts; and Mark Jason Williams, speaking on the censorship of LGBT artists.

On Tuesday, May 12, The Sheen Center canceled the entire event, including the Planet Connections opening night party which - ironically - was benefitting the National Coalition Against Censorship, whose mission statement is "to promote freedom of thought, inquiry and expression and oppose censorship in all its forms." Joan Berlin, Executive Director of NCAC, said "It's hard to imagine a more ironic outcome: a venue attempts to alter, edit and censor the works that are being performed at an anti-censorship event. And when the artists won't compromise their vision, the venue cancels the show."

As a result, Planet Connections is currently seeking a new venue of 100-200 seats for this important event and the vibrant, necessary discourse on free speech and censorship. Any venue, theatre company, or event space interested in hosting this important and vital benefit is urged to contact Planet Connections immediately.

When told of The Sheen Center's decision, Neil LaBute issued the following statement:

"I am saddened by this recent decision by the sheen center. it is absolutely within their right to revoke our contract but, in my mind, it is absolutely the wrong thing to do. by design, this event was meant to shine another light on censorship and it was unexpected to have the plug pulled, quite literally, by an organization that touts the phrase 'for thought and culture' on their very website. both in life and in the arts, this is not a time to hide or be afraid; recent events have begged for artists and citizens to stand and be counted and i sincerely hope that we will find a space that helps us do just that--if not, we will take to the streets to make our point. a point that needs to be made."

Planet Connections Founder and PFAC Producing Artistic Curator Glory Kadigan adds:

"Although we are disappointed, Planet Connections respects the venue contract that states that at any time the venue can cancel a contract, at their discretion, if they decide the material being presented is against their mission statement, and that they no longer wish to present it."

"The management of The Sheen Center actually suggested that we alter the title of Neil LaBute's play, and alter the content of some of our panelist's speeches, which we find completely out of line with the anti-censorship mission of the benefit. Excluding any voice - whether it's an LGBT voice, an African American voice, a scientist, a Catholic, an atheist, a misanthrope, a conservative, a liberal, a whatever - that's NOT acceptable to me. So we refuse to alter Neil's script, or any of our speakers' speeches, and we refuse to present Playwrights For A Cause without any of them."

Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is New York's premiere socially-conscious theatre, music and film festival. The entire festival is aligned to help artist shine a light on the issues facing our society and support the organizations working to make a difference. The 2015 Theatre Festivity will run from June 15-July 12 at the Paradise Factory (located at 64 East 4th Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue), and will also play host to special events at various locations in New York City's East Village. The full lineup for the Festivity will be announced shortly. For more information on Planet Connections visit: planetconnections.org.

The National Coalition Against Censorship's mission is to promote freedom of thought, inquiry and expression and oppose censorship in all its forms. The Coalition formed in response to the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Miller v. California, which narrowed First Amendment protections for sexual expression and opened the door to obscenity prosecutions. Over 40 years, as an alliance of more than 50 national non-profits, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups, The Coalition has engaged in direct advocacy and education to support First Amendment principles. The Coalition is unique in that they are national in scope, but often local in approach, and works with community members to resolve censorship controversies without the need for litigation. www.ncac.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.