Theatre Censorship in Contemporary Europe

With contributions from an international range of scholars, this ground-breaking study explores the forms, contexts, and impacts of theatre censorship in twenty-first-century Europe.

What are the contexts (political, social, legal, cultural) of theatre censorship in twenty-first-century Europe? Given the abolition of state-sanctioned and institutional forms of stage censorship in the late twentieth century, the prevalence of authoritarian and populist politics, and the escalation of so-called ‘culture wars’, in what ways and to what extent does stage censorship manifest and proliferate today? How does censorship respond (or not) to governmental, economic, moral, and religious circumstances? And how have theatre-makers in Europe contested or countered censorial prohibitions in the recent past? This edited collection is the first pan-European study of contemporary theatre censorship. An international range of scholars assess how new forms of censorship operate to silence artists and control performances; they explore how theatre artists respond to constraints placed upon their work across territories, and analyse how age-old political, religious, and moral taboos impact on theatrical creation and reception. Readers are invited to consider not only the varied mechanisms of censorship, including its more covert iterations, but also what is censored, when, how, and why, particularly in relation to the sensitive issues of religion, race, sexuality, and nationalism. By focusing on the work of key European theatre practitioners, as well as significant productions and performances, contributors reflect on the impact of censorship on artistic policies and cultural activity, and the forms of protest mobilized against it.

Introduction Anne Etienne and Chris Megson

PART 1: FORMS AND SOURCES OF CENSORSHIP Intervention 1 - Vicki Ann Cremona and Marco Galea, 'Capturing Space: Crashing Down the Gates of the Maltese Utopia Chapter 1. Milena Dragicevic Sesic and Aleksandra Jovicevic, 'Voices from Semi-peripheries: Pressure, Self-censorship, and Micropolitics of Resistance in the Western Balkans' Chapter 2. Alex Trustrum-Thomas, 'The Emperor's New Clothes: Ideology and Censorship in Contemporary Russian Theatre' Chapter 3. Anne Etienne and Lisa Fitzpatrick, 'Risings and Cancelling: Implicit Censorship on a Free Irish Stage'

PART 2: GHOSTS OF THE PAST Intervention 2 - Andrea Tompa, 'Censorship in Hungary: Comedy, Silence, and Subversion' Chapter 4. Denis Poniz, 'Nothing New on the Eastern Front: Censorship in Contemporary Slovenia' Chapter 5. Agnieszka Jakimiak, 'Un-Divine Comedy. Remains and Self-Censorship as Work-In- Progress in Poland' Chapter 6. Andrew Holden, 'Opera Censorship in Europe - Production, Circulation, and Reception in a Transnational Market' Intervention 3 - Lonneke van Heugten, 'The Tenacity of Tradition: Performativity in the Dutch Black Pete Controversy'

PART 3: STAGING TABOOS Intervention 4 - Roaa Ali, 'Racialized Censorship in the Age of ""Culture Wars""' Chapter 7. Chris Megson, 'Images of Protest: Religion, Theatre, and Censorship' Chapter 8. Olga Kolokytha, Yulia Belinskaya, and Matina Magkou, 'Religion and Politics: Silencing Greek Theatre in the Twenty-First Century' Chapter 9. Duncan Wheeler, 'Booing and Banning: Freedom and Prohibition in Spain's ""National Fiesta""' Intervention 5 - Hannah Probst, 'Play on the Periphery: Irrational Queerness as Resistance to Censorship in Gestalta's Shibari Performance Art'

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Introduction Anne Etienne and Chris Megson
DOI: 10.47788/THTM4731

PART 1: FORMS AND SOURCES OF CENSORSHIP
Intervention 1 – Vicki Ann Cremona and Marco Galea, Capturing Space: Crashing Down the Gates of the Maltese Utopia
DOI: 10.47788/DXCK2330
Chapter 1. Milena Dragicevic Sesic and Aleksandra Jovićević, Voices from Semi-peripheries: Pressure, Self-censorship, and Micropolitics of Resistance in the Western Balkans
DOI: 10.47788/MBJH9642
Chapter 2. Alex Trustrum-Thomas, The Emperor’s New Clothes: Ideology and Censorship in Contemporary Russian Theatre
DOI: 10.47788/KHBJ9609 
Chapter 3. Anne Etienne and Lisa Fitzpatrick, Risings and Cancelling: Implicit Censorship on a Free Irish Stage
DOI: 10.47788/DUMT2156

PART 2: GHOSTS OF THE PAST
Intervention 2 – Andrea Tompa, Censorship in Hungary: Comedy, Silence, and Subversion
DOI: 10.47788/JENC2443
Chapter 4. Denis Poniž, Nothing New on the Eastern Front: Censorship in Contemporary Slovenia
DOI: 10.47788/WHXD7915
Chapter 5. Agnieszka Jakimiak, Un-Divine Comedy. Remains and Self-Censorship as Work-In- Progress in Poland
DOI: 10.47788/SLFB7672
Chapter 6. Andrew Holden, Opera Censorship in Europe – Production, Circulation, and Reception in a Transnational Market
DOI: 10.47788/WAUE9231
Intervention 3 – Lonneke van Heugten, The Tenacity of Tradition: Performativity in the Dutch Black Pete Controversy
DOI: 10.47788/CYXY9391

PART 3: STAGING TABOOS
Intervention 4 – Roaa Ali, Racialized Censorship in the Age of “Culture Wars”
DOI: 10.47788/DXIE9191
Chapter 7. Chris Megson, Images of Protest: Religion, Theatre, and Censorship
DOI: 10.47788/HLHS2992
Chapter 8. Olga Kolokytha, Yulia Belinskaya, and Matina Magkou, Religion and Politics: Silencing Greek Theatre in the Twenty-First Century
DOI: 10.47788/LHYH5122
Chapter 9. Duncan Wheeler, Booing and Banning: Freedom and Prohibition in Spain’s “National Fiesta”
DOI: 10.47788/TKHZ1641
Intervention 5 – Hannah Probst, Play on the Periphery: Irrational Queerness as Resistance to Censorship in Gestalta’s Shibari Performance Art
DOI: 10.47788/NMMG9395

• Edited by Anne Etienne
• Edited by Chris Megson

...a comprehensive and well-structured analysis of censorship.
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...a comprehensive and well-structured analysis of censorship.

— Julia Sweet

...a unique and valuable addition to the field of censorship studies.

— Marianne Drugeon

Theatre Censorship in Contemporary Europe: Silence and Protest is a key resource for understanding the complex dynamics of theatre censorship in Western democracies and post-communist societies... By providing diverse perspectives and in-depth analyses, the anthology illuminates the challenges artists face and the strategies they use to navigate and resist various forms of censorship.

— Rui Pina Coelho

...distinguished by its distinctive pan-European scope (in terms of content and authorship), the book is a commendable contribution to the fields of theatre studies and cultural politics. It is recommended for all scholars and students of drama and theatre studies, theatre-makers and performing artists.

— Yiğit Sümbül