Queer venue’s closure signals religion’s enduring clout

July 24, 2026 — 7:30pm

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This month’s closure of Divine Playhouse in Sydney is the most recent episode in a long history of attacks on satirical artistic expression that offends certain conservative religious interests.

With no shortage of willing queer artists and followers, the Divine Playhouse promised to be a hilarious and inclusive pop-up venture. Artists dressed as nuns carrying sex toys and a mock communion were part of the spectacle. But the show had barely opened before it was shut down after about 100 right-wing Christians, including members of Prodigal Sons and Fit for the Kingdom, protested outside the venue.

After building outrage on social media, the activists’ theatrical protest involved invoking saints and urging everyone to stand firm in the face of evil.

The now-deserted building, which once served as a church but also as a poor house, homeless shelter and a community theatre, belongs to Revelop, which has an empire of residential, retail and commercial property developments.

The development company terminated Divine Playhouse’s one-year lease under breach of a clause which prohibited tenants from conducting “offensive trade” by mocking “sincerely held religious beliefs of millions of Christian........

© Brisbane Times