More than 3700 people have signed a petition calling on the NSW Government to issue a public apology to the Christian community after it was revealed a nightclub planning live exorcisms and a ‘Sunday Mess’ in a former Catholic chapel in the CBD received state support. The petition also calls on the government to withdraw its support for the venue, which has attracted controversy for its use of Christian imagery in its branding and entertainment.
Media reported that the Divine Playhouse, which originally launched as the Unholy Playhouse in what was formerly the Genesian Theatre on Kent Street, received a $100,000 grant from the state’s arts agency Create NSW. Petition organiser Chris Nave said the venue’s current tenant is “ridiculing our faith.”
“As a Catholic, a Christian, a father and a NSW taxpayer, I am deeply saddened and angered by the existence of the Divine Playhouse and its apparent association with Create NSW,” he wrote on the change.org website.
“This is not simply a nightclub. Its branding deliberately uses Christian symbols, language and themes in a way that many Christians reasonably see as mocking Jesus Christ, the Cross and our faith.
“What is sacred to billions of people around the world has been turned into entertainment and commercial marketing.
“What has shocked me most is seeing Create NSW acknowledged on the venue’s website.
“Whether that association is through funding, sponsorship, partnership or another form of government support, I believe it is completely inappropriate. The NSW Government should not be connected in any way with a venue that many Christians perceive as ridiculing their faith.”
The gothic-style St John the Evangelist church was deconsecrated in the 1930s and was home to the Genesian Theatre for 80 years, before the building was sold in 2017.
Nave told The Catholic Weekly the petition is about ensuring the Christian community receives the same respect afforded to other groups.
“As followers of Christ, we are called to pray for those with whom we disagree, and my concern is with government accountability and the principle that Christians deserve the same dignity and respect afforded to every other faith community,” he said.
“Rather than responding with violence or hostility, thousands of Christians have chosen peaceful advocacy, prayer, respectful engagement with elected representatives and lawful democratic action through the petition.
“That says a great deal about the Christian community.”
Divine Playhouse creator Kat Dopper told media it had received “an overwhelmingly positive response” and that the name had been changed from ‘unholy’ to ‘divine’ in response to a “small number of people in the community who felt hurt by the use of the name unholy.”
On its opening night on 8 July around 70 people gathered across the road from the venue to pray the Rosary in peaceful protest. Some carried a banner proclaiming, “Jesus is King,” while others brought statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and other devotional items. A few of the protesters were videoed attempting to speak to nightclub staff, who included people dressed as nuns in blue habits, through the front door.
Lewis Stockdale, a member of the men’s faith and fitness group Fit for the Kingdom, said the gathering reflected both the resilience and unity of Sydney’s Christian community.
“I feel like Christians around the world are under a lot of persecution, a lot of threat, and I think the Christian movement is at its best when it’s moving, not stagnant,” he said.
“The word Catholic is universal, and it was great to see people from the Philippines, Lebanese, Australians – and I’m English – all from different backgrounds and ethnicities united under the banner of the love of Jesus Christ. That was really inspiring.”
The group plans to return to the site on 17 July for another hour-long Rosary.
