The Stage

Arts world failed to support Behzti during protests, say cast and crew

Published Tuesday 5 December 2006 at 12:50

Leading figures from controversial Sikh play Behzti have claimed they were abandoned by the arts community when the production was forced to close by violent protests in Birmingham.

Speaking at a conference held by Equity, and sponsored by The Stage, to address the problems of censorship in the performing arts, director Janet Steel and actor Madhav Sharma complained that, following the violent scenes in 2004 which saw Sikh protesters force the closure of the play at the Birmingham Rep, the cast and crew were given no support from the sector.

Sharma explained: “Behzti was a disgrace to the arts establishment, who didn’t support the fact that the performance should have continued. I understand why Birmingham Rep pulled it but I think it was cowardly of them to do so. I think it was appalling that the police said they couldn’t police 200 militant Sikhs.

“The truth is when it happened Equity didn’t support us, we didn’t have the arts council support us. Really there was no support at all. Therefore bullying was allowed to succeed over law and order.”

Sharma and Steel were both talking as part of panel discussions at the conference, which was organised by Equity to discuss the growing threat of censorship in theatre, following the problems experienced by both Behzti and the touring production of Jerry Springer - the Opera, which faced organised protests from evangelical religious group Christian Voice.

Steel added: “I certainly never felt fear like it before Behzti, or since it. So many writers are self-censoring what they write for fear of what might happen to them.

“It was like I was in a dark tunnel of madness. I didn’t get any help from anyone, no support from anywhere.”

Steel also pointed out that neither that writer, nor Behzti author Gurpreet Kaur Batti had had their works staged since the events.

Speakers at the conference called for the foundation of an emergency group, chaired by Equity with the help of other industry bodies, which could offer support to artists who were faced with problems similar to those experienced by Behzti and Jerry Springer - the Opera. National Theatre artistic director Nicholas Hytner delivered the event’s key note speech.