Banned play set for court drama
The producers of banned play Stitching will enter into a legal battle tomorrow to overturn the controversial decision. If they lose, they intend to stage it anyway, even though they will have to find a new venue.
St James Cavalier is not able to host the play since it is a government entity and does not have the power to defy such a decision - although the board that runs the centre insists Stitching should not have been banned.
The producer Adrian Buckle insists staging the play is a question of "when, and not if".
The Board of Classification, headed by Therese Friggieri, has denied the producer's request for the decision to be overturned, and insisted that among other things, the play was blasphemous and obscene.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Ms Friggieri said she will now have to fight the issue in court, and insisted that unlike other controversial plays, which the board classified as suitable for audiences over 18, this one should not be staged.
On the other hand, Mr Buckle insisted he will be embarrassed when people come to see the play since it will not live up to the hype the ban has fuelled.
"People will think I cut out parts of it, although that is strictly against my policy. My other plays were more controversial," he argued.
The issue has fuelled interest in the play with many theatre-lovers coming out against the decision.
Drama club MADC supports Unifaun, arguing that while proper classification is important, censorship is not necessary in this day and age.
"Mature adults should be at liberty to choose to watch what they want. The MADC is against a total ban on theatrical works," chairman Nanette Brimmer said.
But on a personal level, Ms Brimmer is less decisive: "What we allow today cannot be disallowed tomorrow... How far can we go for the sake of art? When you do away with censorship there are no limits."
She added that if Malta were to follow the rest of Europe by not allowing plays to be banned, there had to be better classification. She suggested introducing classifications such as 'over-21' or 'over-25', as well as making sure audiences were forewarned about the contents of the play.
On the other hand, theatre buff Tony Cassar Darien believes Malta should adopt a different system where producers can be taken to court if their audiences feel offended, rather than the plays being banned beforehand.
He said that when it comes to plays such as Stitching, aimed for a niche audience typical of those who attend St James Cavalier, censorship is not needed.
"People who seek this type of shocking theatre come well prepared for it. You always see the same faces there. None of them need somebody else to look after their morality," he said.
Answering questions sent by The Sunday Times, Culture Minister Dolores Cristina said freedom of expression is a basic human right, but like every other right, it is not absolute.
"In view of the fact that the banning of a play has become such a rare occurrence, the Board of Classification should give a clear and unequivocal statement regarding the rationale behind this decision.
"I believe the discussions that arise on these very rare occasions would be useful only if they take into consideration all the dimensions of the subject, create more light than heat, and fully respect all parties involved in the debate."
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11 Comments
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Caroline Zammit
Feb 20th 2009, 22:57
It is not a matter of being in 2009; it is just a matter of Abusing Freedom ! They are taking the play toooo far. Do they have to make those scenes and write those words to make a play memorable & to show us art ?!
I am in favour of the Census Board and their desicion to ban this play and I am in favour of the Law that states & protect the innocence of the others who still value their moral values, regardless of what year we are into !
Evarist Saliba
Feb 2nd 2009, 11:04
State censorship is unwelcome since it has been known to be abused. However, since we have a legally set up Board of Classification, which is not a Maltese aberration, is should not be criticised for doing its duty. From what the art critic in The Guardian has written (quoted by Evarist Bartolo), the board is doing what self-censorship should have done.
In a decent and civilised society, freedom of expression should not mean freedom to promote smut which degrades human values, and which is devoid of any merit, artistic or otherwise. There is such a thing as freedom, but there is also such a thing as the abuse of freedom.
Could not the drama producer present the Maltese public with a work which elicited praise, rather than condemnation, from qualified artistic critics?
There may be those who will advise me to see the play before I comment on it. My answer is that I am not so naive as to subside what is blatantly vulgar rubbish.
a darmanin
Feb 2nd 2009, 00:34
Shame.....2009 and we are still 100 years backwards!!!!
Graham Crocker
Feb 1st 2009, 15:43
This is a bit retarded, I for example don't like these plays which is why I'm not going, ( i prefer wit and comedy over mindless shock theater), but if there are people who like these type of plays, they should be able to watch this stuff as long as they are adults who know what they going into.
I dislike state nannying.
John Lauri
Feb 1st 2009, 13:14
Who is Ms Therese Farrugia and her colleagues to decide whether I a 44 year old man, have the psychological maturity, wisdom and intellect to watch a play of my free will and ban me ( and the rest of the people ) from watching this play ?
I would much rather go to watch a play dealing with controversial subjects, which could lead to some interesting debates thereafter, than be bombarded by real "shocking, offensive, immoral" news that we are hounded with daily ?
Ms Farrugia, news like a man stabbing his ex-girlfirend 49 times in front of their child and demands a lesser sentence; a man who keeps his daughter hostage for 24 years in a cellar and repeatedly rapes her and father 7 children with her; Israeli soldiers attacking Gaza and killing 400 children in 3 weeks etc etc, are far more blasphemous, offensive and immoral than the play you got banned and yet no-one bans me from watching the news daily and no Classification Board dares ban the news, even though the news may be horrific, offensive, blasphemous and immoral !
Byron Camilleri
Feb 1st 2009, 12:42
Still banning art in 2009?
This is one of the instances where i am ashamed to be Maltese.
Jason Spiteri
Feb 1st 2009, 12:39
I share K.Zammit's consternation...unfortunately 'this is 2009' is no longer a valid call for people to be open-minded, since western society has taken huge leaps backwards in terms of freedom of thought and expression in the past decades, thanks to the impositions of PC.
A look at the ideas on this page is enough. The chairman of the MADC board's personal views on which subjects can and can't be discussed is one clue; the attitude of 'let those who be offended cast the first court summons' proves it.
Time was when society was free enough that if someone felt offended, they were free not to watch the play/TV show/article/film etc. and let those who aren't offended live in peace.
Evarist Bartolo
Feb 1st 2009, 12:12
This is what ‘The Guardian’ said on Monday 5 August 2002, the day after ‘Stitching’ was performed for the first time at the Edinburgh Festival: “… audiences known for their cast-iron stomachs have staged their first walkouts on grounds of taste. People left ‘Stitching’, a new play by the Scottish writer Anthony Neilson that describes a man masturbating over pictures of women being herded into a gas chamber in Auschwitz. A character fantasises about re-enacting the Moors murders, filming her partner sexually abusing the victims' mothers and putting the footage on the web. She mutilates and stitches up her vagina to the strains of "We will stitch it" from the soundtrack to the children's TV programme Bagpuss.”
George Orwell says: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
When it comes to theatre productions, liberty means the right not to turn up for a play that you find offensive. It means the right to go to the theatre and leave it if you disapprove of the play. Banning a play goes against liberty and does not make sense in an open and democratic society.
Robert Callus
Feb 1st 2009, 11:41
Freedom of speech does have limitations, such as inciting a criminal offence, racial hatred or a riot.
However I don't think this is the case. Being 'shocking' is not a limitation to freedom of expression
Ms Brimmer asked this question: 'What if we come to the point where it is OK to stage paedophile acts?'
A paedophile act is obviously illegal. In order to stage it you will need a minor, so for that case, yes, freedom of expression can be limited.
But this is definitely not the case
joe felice pace
Feb 1st 2009, 10:55
What Tony Cassar Darien is suggesting exists in Denmark. The Danish constitution says that there is to be no kind of censorship. But anyone can take a person or group to court if one feels offended.
K Zammit
Feb 1st 2009, 10:53
This whole saga baffles me as I have to pinch myself to remind me that this is 2009. Whn are we going to come of age ? This is such a demeaning way of having other 'know-it-all' censorship gurus (yeah, right!!) decide on my behalf whether I am in a mental (or physical, for that) position to watch a play, film or read a book. Come on...get a life, let us live in this world of free spirit and freedom. Remove those blinkers as they are making you the laughing stock on this island.
Please choose the reason of your report below: