Controversy at The Connelly Theater: Artistic Freedom Under Threat

The Connelly Theater’s Artistic Struggles Under Scrutiny

The Connelly Theater, nestled in New York’s vibrant East Village, has long served as a cherished sanctuary for those who crave innovative and daring performing arts. Over the years, it has hosted a myriad of groundbreaking productions, including the play Job, which recently concluded a successful run on Broadway; Kate, a captivating one-woman show by Kate Berlant that garnered acclaim across London and California after selling out downtown; and Circle Jerk, a satire that earned a Pulitzer finalist nod in 2021.

However, in recent weeks, the theater has found itself at the center of controversy as the building’s landlord—the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York—has begun to impose stricter oversight on the content of productions seeking to rent the space. This increased scrutiny has resulted in at least three planned shows being forced to find alternative venues.

In a significant development, Josh Luxenberg, who has dedicated a decade to serving as the theater’s general manager, submitted his resignation late Friday. Following this, the Catholic school acting as the intermediary between the theater and the archdiocese announced early Tuesday that it was suspending all operations of its theater.

Producers who have previously rented the Connelly Theater were aware of its ownership by the archdiocese, along with a contractual clause granting the Roman Catholic Church the authority to reject any content it deemed obscene, pornographic, or harmful to its reputation. However, many have expressed surprise that the archdiocese has recently begun to rigorously evaluate scripts before granting rental approvals.

One notable incident involved New York Theater Workshop, which was informed by a bishop earlier this month that it could not stage Becoming Eve, a poignant adaptation of a memoir chronicling a rabbi’s journey to coming out as a transgender woman, at the Connelly early next year. The workshop is now actively seeking another venue for this important production.

Patricia McGregor, the artistic director of New York Theater Workshop, voiced her astonishment at this development: “We had seen a range of really provocative, amazing, inspiring, artistically rigorous shows there, so I was surprised this would be rejected,” she stated. “And if in the East Village of New York City we are meeting this kind of resistance, where else might this be happening?”

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