3 Oct 2011 | Uncategorized
The controversial play Saved by Edward Bond is set to be performed in London later this month. The play, which hasn’t been staged in the capital in 25 years, will feature at the Lyric Hammersmith throughout October.
Initially staged in 1965 at the Royal Court Theatre, the piece — which has rarely been performed — explores the lives of a working-class family and a group of young thugs in south London. There was uproar when it was refused a license by the Lord Chamberlain in the 60s. Particularly opposed to the scene in which the thugs stoned a baby to death, the Lord Chamberlain decreed it inappropriate, and critics were disgusted.
The theatre went underground, staging the production in a private club performance, attempting to sneak through a legal loophole, but it was unsuccessful and the Royal Court was prosecuted. During the court case, Laurence Olivier led the theatre community to defend theatrical freedom, supporting the theory that theatre must address current problems. The Royal Court lost the case, but the court case and the scandal in which the theatre and the play found themselves is widely regarded as the fundamental turning point for the abolition of stage censorship, which occurred in 1968.
Director Sean Holmes’ take on the play is described by the Lyric Hammersmith as “a disturbing and visionary account of life in the modern city”.
“Saved” will run at Lyric Hammersmith from 06 October – 05 November 2011
26 Sep 2011 | Uncategorized
On 23 September, a group of students known as the “Irvine 11” were handed three years probation, as well as 56 hours of community service and fines for disrupting the 8 February speech of Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the United States.
District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said that the students censored Ambassador Oren, and labelled their behaviour as “thuggery”. The decision was met with outrage from supporters, and at a town hall meeting held on 25 September, the students announced their plans to appeal the court’s decision, and one of the attorneys for the group, Jacqueline Goodman, vowed to continue fighting for the rights of the students, “even if it means going to the Supreme Court”.
20 Sep 2011 | Index Index, minipost
The publication of Halkin Gunlugu (The People’s Agenda) newspaper was suspended for one month on 10 September. All copies of the paper were seized and distribution of the latest issue is to be stopped under Article 25/2 of the Press Law and Articles 6/2 and 7/2 of Law No.3713 (Anti-Terror Law). The decision stems from a series of articles in the 18th issue of the weekly paper which covered the deaths of militants in the Maoist Communist Party and its armed wing, the People’s Liberation Army, in armed conflicts. The prosecution ordered the publication ban on grounds of alleged “propaganda for an illegal armed terrorist organisation”.
19 Sep 2011 | Asia and Pacific, China
China‘s version of Pop Idol, Super Girl, was on Friday suspended for one year by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT).
Li Hao, deputy editor and spokesman of the show’s broadcaster, Hunan Satellite TV, was quoted as saying that the channel will instead “air programmes that promote moral ethics and public safety, and provide practical information for housework”. He added that his channel will not broadcast any talent shows that contain mass participation next year.
The order from the broadcasting watchdog to Hunan TV reportedly stated that the programme had often exceeded its allotted time slot. However, some officials have seen the show as subversive, with audience voting allegedly mirroring Western-style democracy.
This is not the first time the show has faced scrutiny. In 2007, SARFT banned voting by text message, with some officials reportedly concerned that the democratic method of choosing the winner was a bad influence, and others criticising the show as “profane” and “unhealthy”. In the same year, SARFT also ordered talent shows not be shown during prime time (between 7:30pm and 10:30pm) or screened for more than two hours a day.
Launched in 2004, Super Girl has been wildly popular. At its peak in 2005, up to 400 million viewers tuned in for the final and voted for their favourite contestants via text messaging and phone polls.
