Divine Playhouse opened its doors as a new arts venue in Gadigal Country/Sydney on July 8, but on July 20 was told its lease would not be renewed, after a campaign by religious extremists.
The LGBTIQ nightclub and theatre space was told the lease had been terminated based on an obscure “offensive trade” law. Earlier in the month it was served with a breach order after complaints from the Christian lobby.
The venue at 420 Kent Street is a 150-year-old deconsecrated church, where the Genesian Theatre was also housed for 70 years from the 1960s to January 2025.
Kat Dopper, the 2020 Creative Director of Sydney Mardi Gras and Creative Director and Founder of Heaps Gay, was the inspiration behind the venue. She had promoted it as a venue for live music, cabaret, gospel, choir karaoke, DJ school and late-night performances.
Create NSW, the New South Wales government body overseeing arts and cultural events, had awarded Divine Playhouse a $100,000 grant for a four-month arts festival.
While the Divine Playhouse website has since been taken down, an archive can be seen on the Wayback Machine when the venue was known as the Unholy Playhouse.
“Depending on the night, Unholy is a bar, a performance space, a dance floor - but it’s always the place where something is happening and everyone belongs - and you leave changed,” it states.
Amplified, a music promotion website, mentioned in early July its upcoming events including “[live music at] ...Holy Flesh — a late sexy night cabaret, a Harry Potter cabarave [cabaret rave], an art ball by The Huxleys, Possession – Australia’s first live exorcism, [and] a cabaret mass The Sight [Dark Mofo] hosted by Victoria Falconer...”
Christian groups protested that religious symbols were being used in creative performances for non-religious reasons, prompting the name change from Unholy Playhouse to Divine Playhouse.
About 100 protesters gathered outside the venue for an “anti-blasphemy” protest on its opening night. Fit for the Kingdom and The Prodigal Sons held a prayer vigil outside the venue as part of the protest.
Pressure from these groups led to the owners, Revelop, sending Heaps Gay Events a notice of breach, and demanding that Divine Playhouse “cease carrying on offensive trade” or risk lease termination.
According to MixMag, the owners are KCSYD, run by AFR Rich List members Anthony El-Hazouri and Charbel Hazzouri, and Revelop, a development company.
Sydney MP Alex Greenwich said on July 15 he was organising a round table with NSW government, NSW Police, venues and promoters to look for solutions to the loss of art venues and hostility towards the LGBTIQ community.
Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann called on the 24 Hour Economy Commissioner, to find Divine Playhouse another venue and for an emergency rescue package.
“The 24 Hour Economy Commission has invested significantly in supporting venues and event organisers as part of the government’s Vibrancy Reforms and they must come out in strong support of Heaps Gay who are under attack.”
[A protest in solidarity with the Divine Playhouse has been called for July 25, 12noon, at Hyde Park, Elizabeth Street. You can donate to the Divine Playhouse GoFundMe campaign here, and sign the Change.org petition here.]