mediawatchwatch.org.uk

The Stage is sponsoring a one-day conference to address the dangers posed by censorship to theatre in the UK.

David Edgar, Nicholas Hynter, Behzti director Janet Steel, Michael Bogdanov, John Mortimer, and English PEN activist Lisa Appignanesi are all due to speak.

Equity vice-president Jean Rogers says:

t will be good for the industry as a whole to be seen to be standing up for this…What would be good is for everybody to know that everybody feels the same, so that when an incident happens again, we can pounce on it.

Three core issues to be addressed at the conference will be: ‘Should there be a right not to be offended?’, ‘What is the place of the law in performing arts?’ and ‘How can artists resist the pressure to self-censor?’

Lisa Appignanesi says:

I would have hoped that given the people who are coming to the event, it will shore up the courage of directors, administrators and people who run things, to put on plays that if they were unsupported they might feel too intimidated to put on.

Offence is an easy emotion. Religious offence of the kind expressed by the Sikhs protesting against Behzti or the small Brick Lane group against the film of Monica Ali’s book or the evangelicals against Jerry Springer – the Opera, has as much to do with power politics as it does with faith. It is important once more that we stand up for artistic freedom. In societies where artistic freedom goes, most of the others follow after.