censorship
That old "f" word: still a producer's nightmare
Saturday 04 July 2009
This
week, a Sydney high school whose English department
had booked out an entire performance of
Norm and Ahmed + Shafana and
Aunt Sarrinah,
were forced by their principal to cancel the
booking. The reason? That pesky old "f" word
uttered by Norm. It appears the more things
change, the more they stay the same. 40 years ago,
that one word put the play at the centre of a
censorship battle which saw it banned in three
states, but also gave Australian theatre its front
page debut. Buzo was bemused and perhaps a little
annoyed. While the publicity achieved instant fame
for the play and its author, he felt its important
themes were somewhat overshadowed by the brouhaha
over one word.
The most distressing part about this school principal's fearful, archaic attitude is that it shows a complete lack of understanding about the purpose of dramatic art, which is to ask questions, encourage self reflection and open minds. Does banning students from seeing a production about the tension between cultures and generations in Australia help them become good citizens and critical thinkers? I think not.
Here's a very short bite from an ABC TV 'Talking Heads' episode on Graeme Blundell who produced Norm and Ahmed in 1970 with some great footage of the play being done for a magistrate and his court.
The most distressing part about this school principal's fearful, archaic attitude is that it shows a complete lack of understanding about the purpose of dramatic art, which is to ask questions, encourage self reflection and open minds. Does banning students from seeing a production about the tension between cultures and generations in Australia help them become good citizens and critical thinkers? I think not.
Here's a very short bite from an ABC TV 'Talking Heads' episode on Graeme Blundell who produced Norm and Ahmed in 1970 with some great footage of the play being done for a magistrate and his court.
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