An LGBT nightclub and artistic space installed in a former church in downtown Sydney has canceled its programming after protests from Catholic groups and other Christians, who denounced the offensive use of symbols and references of the faith.
Divine Playhouse opened in a historic building on Kent Street constructed approximately 150 years ago. The property was deconsecrated in 1932 and later used as a theater and community space.
The project had initially been promoted under the name Unholy Playhouse. Its founder, Kat Dopper, decided to change it following criticism from several Christians, although she defended that the term was intended as a form of “reappropriation” for communities that had not felt welcomed in traditional religious spaces.
The name change did not end the controversy. The programming included parties and performances with drag queens dressed as religious figures, parodies of exorcisms, and other Christian references used as provocative material.
A prayer vigil in front of the former temple
On opening night, around 70 people participated in a vigil called by Fit for the Kingdom, a Catholic men’s apostolate, and The Prodigal Sons, a Christian brotherhood.
The attendees prayed and sang religious songs in front of the venue. New South Wales Police attended the scene as it was an unauthorized gathering, but the protest proceeded without serious incidents and the group dispersed shortly afterward. A young man received a police order to leave the area and complied.
The protesters insisted that their demonstration was not directed against homosexual people, but against the use of Jesus Christ, the Cross, religious habits, and other sacred elements as a commercial lure and object of mockery.
A petition promoted by Chris Nave gathered more than 3,700 signatures and called on the New South Wales Government for a public apology to the Christian community and the withdrawal of state support for the project.
“This is not simply a nightclub. Its branding deliberately uses Christian symbols, language, and themes in a way that many Christians rightly consider a mockery of Jesus Christ, the Cross, and our faith,” Nave stated.
A publicly funded project
The controversy grew when it became known that Divine Playhouse had received a grant of 100,000 Australian dollars from Create NSW, the New South Wales Government’s arts agency.
The funding was intended to finance a four-month creative reactivation program and a multidisciplinary festival. Sydney’s Deputy Mayor, Jess Miller, attended the opening and defended the future community role of the space.
Christian groups and several political representatives questioned that taxpayers were funding a project whose promotion explicitly resorted to the parody of religious symbols.
The venue’s founder maintained that her goal was not to generate controversy, but to provide independent artists with an accessible space. “I want people to enter with a sense of discovery,” Dopper declared, defending that the building had been dedicated to theater for decades and no longer functioned as a church.
The owner demands the cessation of activity
A few days after the opening, the property owner notified the managers of Divine Playhouse of a possible breach of contract due to “offensive activity” and demanded they stop performances incompatible with the lease conditions.
Following the notification, the organizers canceled the scheduled events and removed part of the promotional content from their social media.
The cancellation represents a concrete outcome for those who prayed and made the citizen petition and peaceful protest against programming that deliberately used elements of our faith as provocative material.