An LGBTQ venue called the Unholy Playhouse, later renamed the Divine Playhouse, opened in the site of a 158-year-old former Catholic church in Sydney with taxpayer funding. Christian groups protested because the shows directly mocked Christianity. In the end, the landlord, Revelop, issued a breach notice demanding that the venue “cease engaging in offensive trade” within two days or face lease termination.
However, the intense debate in support of the venue, particularly the rhetoric condemning Christians for opposing it, illustrates the shift toward a post-Christian world.
The building, St. John the Evangelist Church, was built in 1868, owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, and deconsecrated around 1932. It later housed the Genesian Theatre for roughly 80 years, and the property was sold to developers in 2017. The Divine Playhouse opened on July 8, 2026, operating on a one-year lease with an option to extend, at 422-424 Kent Street in Sydney’s CBD.
The venue was produced by Kat Dopper, known for Heaps Gay and Pleasures Playhouse, and operated by Heaps Gay Events. It was marketed as “a sanctuary for divine mischief.” Programming included live music, DJ sets, karaoke backed by a gospel choir, a cabaret series called Holy Flesh, a Harry Potter-themed party, and an event titled Possession, billed as Australia’s first live exorcism, scheduled for October. A weekend event was billed as Sunday Mess: An Unholy Brunch Party – The Resurrection.
Opening-night staff included performers dressed as nuns in blue habits. The project received a $100,000 grant from the New South Wales government arts agency, Create NSW, to support a four-month program. The opening event, titled “The First Rite,” featured men dressed as nuns in sexualized pig angel suits. The following night, the venue hosted a comedy show titled Two Queers Walk Into A Bar.
A spokesperson for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney said the church “holds a strong Catholic history, and to see it used for direct mockery of our beliefs – events built around the resurrection and purgatory – is genuinely hurtful to our community,” and called on the NSW Government to “apply the same standard to all faiths.”
The venue drew immediate opposition. On opening night, roughly 70 people from Christian groups Fit for the Kingdom and The Prodigal Sons gathered outside the venue, chanting hymns and filming attendees. One protester, Lewis Anderson, filmed himself confronting patrons entering the venue and posted the video to Instagram. Catholic petitioner Chris Nave’s Change.org campaign calling on the NSW Government to withdraw support for the venue reached 5,200 signatures.
The two Christian groups gave specific reasons for their opposition. A Prodigal Sons spokesperson said the choice of a former church was deliberate rather than incidental. “There is no shortage of venues across Sydney where the LGBTQ community is free to express itself and its artistic creativity,” the spokesperson said. “The selection of a former church is a deliberate and conscious decision.”
The groups pointed to a specific opening-night performance, in which a performer dressed as a pig offered McDonald’s fries as a parody of Holy Communion, as an example of what they found offensive. A Fit for the Kingdom spokesperson said the group’s objection was to performances that “mocked Christian beliefs.”
Both groups said their goal was not to silence artists but, in the words of Prodigal Sons, to communicate “how deeply this material has wounded a community of faith.”
Protester Liam Aquilina similarly told ABC News that he had no objection to the church being used by “certain communities,” but objected to specific elements, including staff “dressing up as nuns” and alcohol being sold under names such as “Unholy Order.”
Divine Playhouse responded in a statement: “The arts have always been a place where people ask difficult questions, challenge ideas and use humor, satire and performance to reflect on the world around us. Not every work will resonate with every person, but the freedom to make and experience art is part of what makes an open, creative and democratic society… While causing offence was not our intention, respectfully, we heard those concerns and in good faith promptly made changes prior to opening.”
After Christians petitioned to shut the venue down, a counter-petition organized by drag performer Fran Giapanni gathered 2,300 signatures calling for the venue to remain open as an inclusive arts space. Some supporters framed their defense in explicitly religious terms, arguing that Christians opposing the venue were themselves failing to live out Christian teaching.
One commenter wrote: “It’s sad to see those who say they are Christian so ready to judge and condemn. Jesus would have bought a ticket, He was a rebel and a change maker… He asked us to love each other. Let’s do it.” City of Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller similarly invoked religious language in defense of the venue, describing it as creating “cathedral communities that are ultimately so much stronger for being together than for being split.”
A performer known as Father Daddy made a similar case, arguing that “this idea that the Church is beyond critique or parody has been very dangerous. It’s given us crusades, wars, witch hunts and the recent sexual abuse crisis,” and adding: “You don’t think Jesus would have washed the feet of gay men dying of AIDS in the 80s, or stood up for trans people today?”
Liberals attempting to invoke Scripture in defense of activities expressly forbidden by the Bible are fighting a losing battle, which is generally why they try to silence conservatives rather than engage in free and open debate.
The claim that Jesus would have washed the feet of AIDS patients is accurate. The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care has estimated that the Catholic Church provides 25 percent of all AIDS care worldwide.
Family First’s lead New South Wales Legislative Council candidate, Lyle Shelton, made the funding a campaign issue, pledging to seek an end to Create NSW support for any project that “deliberately denigrate[s] Christianity or any other faith” if elected next year.
Revelop’s breach notice stated: “We note that the trade carried on by HG Events has been the subject of significant protest and public criticism, given its offensive nature.”
Dopper responded by announcing the venue’s closure and the cancellation of all events while she explored legal options. Separately, Meta shut down the accounts of Divine Playhouse, Heaps Gay, and other LGBTQIA+ community pages. The accounts were restored after four days.
A New South Wales government spokesperson defended the grant, saying the government is committed to protecting both LGBTQIA+ people and people of faith from discrimination.
NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann called on the government to support the venue, describing the backlash as an intimidation campaign against queer spaces.
City of Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Miller said she was concerned by the lease termination. She added that it was “not my place to decide what is ‘art,’” but that she was “very sympathetic to those whose livelihoods are directly and seriously affected by this abrupt decision.”
A further Christian protest was scheduled for the following Friday, with NSW Police confirming they would maintain a presence to help ensure public safety.
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