“A suspension of all theater activities”. So came the apparent end of one of New York’s boldest artistic venues. Nestled in the vibrant East Village, the Connelly Theater has, in recent years, hosted audacious and provocative productions, from the biting satire of Circle Jerk, a Pulitzer finalist in 2021, to shows tackling significant—and often contentious—contemporary issues.
But then the shadow of censorship started to loom large. For months, the Catholic Archdiocese of New York—owner of the two theaters that comprise the venue—has exerted increasingly strict control over the works, forcing several producers to seek refuge elsewhere.
An investigation by the New York Times reveals how the theater, an old Catholic orphanage transformed into a creative space, has come under the watchful eye of ecclesiastical officials who have begun scrutinizing scripts and axing performances deemed inconsistent with Catholic values. Recently, the New York Theater Workshop found its show Becoming Eve, inspired by the story of a rabbi identifying as a transgender woman, rejected, compelling producers to search for a new venue for the planned debut.
“And if in the East Village of New York City we are meeting this kind of resistance, where else might this be happening?”, questioned Patricia McGregor, artistic director of the New York Theater Workshop.
The Archdiocese has challenged not only the productions themselves but also the themes that may be explored. “They made it clear that anything about abortion, reproductive rights, gender issues or sexuality will not be allowed going forward,” said Danielle DeMatteo, founder of SheNYC Arts, an organization that has long provided a platform for women and non-binary artists. “Given the nature of our organization, they expect that most, if not all, of our scripts will get rejected”
The cost of this censorial grip affects not just the artists but also the daily operations of the Cornelia Connelly Center, an affiliated school that offers free education to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. “The Archdiocese of New York, and not our center, has sole control over the approval process of the productions that are performed there,” commented Brianne Wetzel, executive director of the center, which has traditionally used proceeds from theatrical productions to support its work.
Against this backdrop, Luxenberg’s resignation comes as no surprise. “Remaining in this position now requires screening production proposals for any content that is objectionable to the Catholic Church,” he stated. “This puts me in the untenable position of becoming a censor rather than an advocate of artistic freedom.”
“Any restrictions that might prevent the space from operating at its highest level would be a devastating loss to the community,” explainedRandi Berry, executive director of IndieSpace, an organization that helps independent theaters find rental spaces—a commodity increasingly rare in the Big Apple.
