Christian Groups Will Continue To Protest New LGBTQIA+ Venue Divine Playhouse

A new LGBTQIA+ arts and nightlife venue in Sydney’s CBD has opened inside a heritage-listed former church, with the opening night drawing protests from Christian groups and calls for the withdrawal of government arts funding. The protests are set to continue.

Divine Playhouse, previously promoted as Unholy Playhouse, launched in a former church building on Kent Street. The venue is described by organisers as a multidisciplinary arts and performance space designed for independent artists, performers and community events.

The building, which is around 150 years old, was deconsecrated as a place of worship in 1932 and has since been used for other purposes, including as a theatre and community space. The Christian protesters only seem to have an issue now that it’s passed into LGBTQIA+ hands.

On opening night, Christian men’s groups including Fit for the Kingdom and The Prodigal Sons held a prayer vigil outside the venue. NSW Police said officers attended an unauthorised public assembly at about 6.30pm, with around 70 people present. Police said the group dispersed at about 7.45pm, and a 21-year-old man was issued a move-on direction that was complied with.

The protest followed criticism of events promoted by the venue, including performances and parties featuring religious imagery. Several Christian influencers, including Spanian and Big Chocky later spoke out against the event online, with one protester, Lewis Anderson, sharing footage of drag performances, erroneously claiming they were “transgender individuals”, and seriously claiming that he was sure it was a “demonic manifestation”.

Divine Playhouse founder and Heaps Gay organiser Kat Dopper said the venue was intended to create an accessible space for arts and culture communities rather than generate controversy.

“I want people to walk in with a sense of discovery,” Dopper 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 changed the venue’s name from Unholy Playhouse to Divine Playhouse following concerns raised by some members of the Christian community.

“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.”

“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,” Ms Dopper told Gay Sydney Daily.

The venue has also received support from sections of Sydney’s arts and LGBTQIA+ communities. Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller attended the launch and spoke about the venue’s role as a future community space.

Create NSW confirmed the project received a $100,000 grant as part of an arts funding program, saying the funding supported a four-month creative revival and multidisciplinary arts festival.

Family First NSW Legislative Council candidate Lyle Shelton, best known for losing the equal marriage campaign, has responded to the venue by pledging to seek an end to government funding that “deliberately denigrate Christianity or any other faith,” if he ever manages to get elected.

The Star Observer can confirm that The Prodigal Sons and Fit For The Kingdom plan to protest the venue on Friday the 17th of July.