It was never going to be a match made in heaven.

When queer arts promoter Heaps Gay Events announced it had leased the long-deconsecrated St John’s Church at 420 Kent St in Sydney’s CBD and renamed it Unholy Playhouse (“a sanctuary for divine mischief”), the response in some quarters of the community was less than welcoming.

“Why are YOUR tax dollars funding the mockery of Christianity?” wrote Lyle Shelton, National Director of the Family First Party, in a social media post. “It is completely inappropriate for taxpayers to be forced to subsidise a venue whose entire brand is built around mocking Christianity and, in particular, the Catholic faith … The Unholy Playhouse proudly acknowledges on its website that it is ‘supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW’. Taxpayers deserve to know why their money is being used to bankroll material that many Christians find deeply offensive.”

Heaps Gay’s Kat Dopper, reacting quickly to a wave of negativity, announced a rebrand within 48 hours of the venue’s opening night. It would now be known as Divine Playhouse, Dopper explained in a statement.

“While the project has received an overwhelmingly positive response, there has been a small number of people in the community who felt hurt by the use of the name ‘Unholy’ … While causing offence was not our intention, respectfully, we heard those concerns and in good faith promptly made changes prior to opening.”

Stained glass windows in the former church and theatre venue at 420 Kent St. Photo © Anna Hay

That still didn’t appease critics, including members of the Christian organisations Fit for the Kingdom and Prodigal Sons, several dozen of whom braved the winter chill to protest the official opening of the venue.

Events took another turn when the property’s owner issued a breach notice, ordering operator Heaps Gay Events to immediately cease “engaging in offensive trade”, claiming activities at the venue “insulted and mocked the sincerely held religious beliefs of millions of Christian Australians” and caused disturbance to neighbouring property owners and the public.

Faced with the termination of its lease, Divine Playhouse cancelled all scheduled events. After the venue’s social media accounts were taken offline, Dopper resurfaced with a statement.

“Divine Playhouse was created with a simple purpose: to provide a space where artists, performers, audiences and communities can come together through culture, creativity and connection. That purpose has not changed.

“Following pre-emptive action taken by our landlord, we have been forced to close the venue and postpone the events for now while we explore our legal options regarding the future of the venue.

“Faced with this situation, our priority has had to be the wellbeing of our artists, audiences, event organisers and staff.

“We strongly believe we have acted in good faith throughout this whole process and remain committed to meeting our obligations as tenants and working towards a constructive resolution.”

St Johns Church. Photo courtesy The Genesian Theatre

Constructed in 1868 as the St John the Evangelist Church but deconsecrated in the early 1930s, the heritage-listed building has a long history as an arts venue, having been home to the Genesian Theatre Company since 1954. The amateur company – whose alumni include John Bell, Nick Enright, Peter Carroll, Judi Farr, Bryan Brown and Baz Luhrmann – was ordered to vacate the building in 2024 by its then owners, the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.

The Genesian Theatre Company offered to buy the building but was informed that the property development company which had purchased two adjoining buildings had made an offer for the former church that the theatre company could not hope to match (reportedly $6 million). The company eventually relocated to a new venue in Balmain.

St John’s is not the only deconsecrated church in Sydney to have been repurposed into a controversial “entertainment” venue. The Kirk on Cleveland Street in Sydney’s Surry Hills was opened as a Methodist Church in 1879, and remained a church until 1977. Before it was bought by Gretel Pinniger, AKA Madame Lash, who hosted notorious BDSM-themed parties there from the mid-1980s, it was used by the rock band AC/DC which recorded the music video Let There Be Rock in the church with singer Bon Scott in priestly robes and the rest of the band dressed as altar boys.

A “disappointing and concerning outcome”

The dispute between queer arts and religious groups has become emblematic of broader tensions in Sydney. Supporters of the venue say it raises serious questions about artistic freedom, community safety and cultural infrastructure under pressure from developers. Greens MP Kate Faehrmann described the situation facing the venue as “untenable” and asked for supporters to sign a petition for “a minimum $200k emergency rescue package now”.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore wrote that the closure of Divine Playhouse was a “disappointing and concerning outcome”.

Meanwhile, a petition hosted on the Change.org website demanded that the NSW Government apologise for funding a venture “ridiculing our faith”.

“This is not simply a nightclub,” wrote petition starter Chris Nave. “Its branding deliberately uses Christian symbols, language and themes in a way that many Christians reasonably see as mocking Jesus Christ, the Cross, and our faith.”

At the time of writing, it had collected more than 6,000 signatures. Another petition on the same platform supporting the Divine Playhouse project has accumulated more than 14,000 signatures.

Posting on the @divineplayhouse.syd Instagram account, Dopper wrote:

“The arts have always been a place where people ask difficult questions, challenge ideas and use humour, 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.”

Dopper said Divine Playhouse was now facing “significant operational, legal and financial challenges as it navigates this situation”.

“Over the year, it planned to support more than 1,500 artists, producers, performers, technicians, promoters, small creative businesses and staff, while providing more than $650,000 of investment into the independent arts sector. Our goal is to minimise the negative impacts for these communities and give Divine Playhouse the best possible chance of reopening and continuing to serve Sydney’s creative sector.”