NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — A play festival intended to benefit the National Coalition Against Censorship had to find a new venue and drop a play from the lineup due to its controversial name.
According to the Associated Press, festival organizers Playwrights for a Cause announced that the festival will now take place on June 14 at New York Theatre Workshop.
The original venue, the Sheen Center, passed on the event after playwright Neil LaBute declined their request to change the title of his play, "Mohammed Gets A Boner."
The AP reported that Sheen Center executive director William Spencer Reilly commented on the venue's decision to not host the event, saying "will not be a forum that mocks or satirizes another faith group."
"I had hoped my work would be viewed on its own merits rather than overshadow our message or become a beacon of controversy," LaBute in a statement.
"I am honestly not interested in stirring hatred or merely being offensive; I wanted my play to provoke real thought and debate and I now feel like that opportunity has been lost and, therefore, it is best that I withdraw the play from Playwrights For A Cause."
Supported by the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, the festival will now feature one-act plays by Erik Ehn, Halley Feiffer and Israel Horovitz as well as a panel discussion on censorship issues. – Staff Writers
