Divine Playhouse Opens Amid Christian Group Protests

Divine Playhouse has officially opened in a former church in the city despite protests by Christian groups outside.

Divine Playhouse, formerly known as Unholy Playhouse, has taken on a one-year lease of a heritage-listed church on Kent Street in a bid to reclaim the space as a meeting ground for arts, cultures and drinks.

The church was deconsecrated by the Catholic Church years ago, with the venue’s new custodian Kat Dopper saying she hopes it becomes a community centre for Sydney.

“I want people to walk in with a sense of discovery, what I think is so good about a space that is 100 or 200 people is you don’t really know what you’re going to get,” she said.

“The idea is that it’s super accessible for arts and culture communities to use without having to spend a million bucks… I cannot wait to see what Sydney independent arts and culture does with the space.”

Dopper, who founded Heaps Gay and Pleasures Playhouse, changed the name from Unholy to Divine Playhouse following community feedback.

“While the project has received an overwhelmingly positive response, there has been a small number of people in the community who felt hurt by the use of the name UNHOLY,” she said.

“I still stand by my decision to use that word as a reclamation for communities who may not have always felt included in traditional holy spaces, but I never wanted the name to become the story.”

However, that decision may not be up to her, as last night’s celebrations were greeted by protests from Christian groups.

Groups like Fit for the Kingdom and The Prodigal Sons attended the protest, with video capturing the group singing Ave Maria outside the opening night.

One of the group’s attendees, Lewis Anderson, reportedly filmed himself confronting several patrons at the door, calling them “disgusting” and adding “you should be ashamed of yourselves.”

In his post, and other posts by protest attendees,  Anderson claims the event took place in a 150-year-old church, a claim that is factually incorrect, as the church was actually deconsecrated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney around 1932.

The Prodigal Sons group on Instagram, which recently reposted quotes and videos from Conor McGregor – found civilly liable for rape by an Irish court – has already called on its followers to continue to protest Divine Playhouse.

One of the supporters of shutting down Divine Playhouse’s funding is Family First political candidate Lyle Shelton.

Shelton, who was director of the Australian Christian Lobby and one of the leaders of the same-sex marriage ‘No’ campaign, said it was inappropriate for taxpayers to subsidise such a venue and said it wouldn’t happen for any other religion.

“The Minns Government would never dream of funding an arts project devoted to mocking Islam’s prophet Muhammad or ridiculing Islamic religious practices. There would be an immediate public outcry and possibly violence,” he said.

Shelton, who fashions himself as a free speech warrior, said if he were to win representation in the Legislative Council at the 2027 election, he would seek to end funding for projects that “denigrate Christianity.”

It would be Shelton’s fifth tilt at elected office. He has lost every previous attempt at a seat in parliament, including a state seat in Queensland, a federal Senate seat for Queensland, and a federal Senate seat in NSW.

A petition set up by fellow protest attendee, Chris Nave, echoes Shelton’s position and calls on the NSW Government to end its support for Divine Playhouse.

The Playhouse is supported by the NSW Government through the Create NSW program, which helps grow and empower the arts and culture sector.

“The NSW Government should not be connected in any way with a venue that many Christians perceive as ridiculing their faith,” the petition reads.

Dopper told Gay Sydney Daily that Divine Playhouse has already taken Christian feedback on board and removed words and programming that “were being perceived as inflammatory.”

“The owners and I are happy with where it’s landed and I hope the people upset can see this is a positive art project and venue, and there is no hate or mockery. The space has been a theatre for 80 years, and has not been a church for 100 years. We are just the next artists taking the reins and championing self-expression.”

The venue already has widespread support from the LGBTQIA community, who packed out Divine Playhouse for its opening night.

Featuring performances from Etcetera Etcetera and Brendan Le Hay amongst others, the night was described as magical by Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney, Councillor Jess Miller.

“I have no doubt in my mind that 50 years from now somebody who hasn’t been born yet will be sifting through the City of Sydney archives and they will see photos of this place… They’ll wonder: was it really real, and of course it was,” she said.

“They talk about cathedral buildings and the intergenerational magic of contributing to something that you might not be the beneficiary of, but I think what happens between us when we come to places like this is we create [like] cathedral communities that are ultimately so much stronger for being together than for being split.”

More on this story
Previously: Heaps Gay Founder Opening a New Venue Inside a 150-Year-Old Church
Read next: Divine Playhouse Served Breach Notice Amid Christian Protests Over Former Church Venue
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