Following widespread protests from religious groups, Divine Playhouse – a performance, live music and arts pop-up venue and bar hosting LGBTQIA+ events – has announced their lease has officially been terminated.
In a statement shared on the afternoon of July 20th, Divine Playhouse revealed that its landlord – Sydney property development company Revelop – had given them days to vacate following the termination of the venue's lease, claiming "offensive trade" as the reason for their decision.
"Offensive trade" is not a common reason for lease termination, in fact, in the 184 years since it was implemented in New South Wales law to regulate foul smells and industrial waste, not once has a court been asked to consider if this terminology extends to matters of 'moral' offensiveness.
"It's over. Our lease terminated, our artists cancelled, our venue being cleared out," said Kat Dopper, the founder of Divine Playhouse and HG Events. “We believe this termination was unlawful and unjust. I am devastated. I am angry – for us, for our artists, for this city and its people.”
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“Our sense of injustice is overwhelming. Divine Playhouse was created as a critical new cultural home for diverse artists and communities from all over Sydney and New South Wales. It’s sitting empty – no artists, no audiences, the joy and community we built in that room, silenced.”
Dopper continued:
That’s freedom of expression in Australia right now: some voices get amplified, others get evicted. In this case it feels like bigotry masquerading as moral victory.
This isn't about Divine versus Revelop. It's so much bigger. If a landlord's personal beliefs can shut down an arts venue, no stage in this country is safe. Who decides what art is acceptable? Right now, the answer is whoever owns the building.
In the wake of this termination – which organisers claim came without any conversation or "good-faith engagement" – Divine Playhouse has announced that it will hold a peaceful "sing-in" rally at 12pm on Saturday, July 25th, in Sydney's Hyde Park.
Additionally, the venue itself is searching for a new home, calling upon developers, landowners, and private space holders who can offer "something unique" to come forward.
As Dopper explains, Divine Playhouse is refusing to walk away from this fight, noting it is a slippery slope upon which any "uncomfortable ideas" may become a victim of similar protests.
“That's why we're fighting this – not just for Divine Playhouse, but for you," said Dopper. "For every artist, every show, every venue, every community, every collective, every expression of unfamiliar or uncomfortable ideas, that could be next.
"If we walk away, they’ll believe that intimidation works – and they'll come back, again and again, for every other group they don’t agree with. We’re not walking away.
"To anyone with a unique space: you wouldn’t just be offering us a home," Dopper added. "You’d be providing the life blood for the future of this city's independent arts and cultural communities.
"This Saturday’s rally isn't just about one venue. It's about the future of arts and culture in New South Wales and who gets to decide it. They can sing? Well we can sing louder. Divine will rise again."
Divine Playhouse's troubled saga began earlier this month when the former church – deconsecrated in the 1930s, and had previously operated as a theatre, homeless shelter, and a children’s school – opened under a one-year lease.
On July 8th, a group of 70 people gathered outside the venue to protest against its events, and on July 9th, landlords sent a “notice of breach” to the venue’s events organisers, Heaps Gay Events, accusing them of insulting and mocking “religious beliefs of millions of Christian Australians.”
Following news that the venue operators were in danger of eviction, drag artist Fran Giapanni started a Change.org petition to keep the Divine Playhouse open. At the time of writing, the petition boasts more than 17,000 signatures, and a GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $36,000.
“If a lawful tenant can be driven out because a vocal minority objects to the LGBTQIA+ community and its creative expression, it sets a dangerous precedent,” the petition reads, “It sends the message that organised pressure campaigns can determine which communities are allowed to occupy public and cultural spaces.”
On July 15th, Dopper noted that Divine Playhouse been forced to close while they explored legal options for the venue's future, and alleged that Meta had “shut down” social media accounts connected to Divine Playhouse, “as well as personal accounts and all LGBTQIA+ community accounts (including Heaps Gay).”
“We strongly believe we have acted in good faith throughout this whole process and remain committed to meeting our obligations as Tenants and working towards a constructive resolution,” Dopper said in a statement at the time.
“The arts have always been a place where people ask difficult questions, challenge ideas and use humour, satire and performance to reflect on the world around us. Not every work will resonate with every person, but the freedom to make and experience art is part of what makes an open, creative and democratic society.”
