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A show poster of a woman standing in a doorway in white underwear and stockings, promoting a new local stage comedy, has been banned by the eThekwini Municipality on the grounds that it is "lewd and provocative".
The comedy, Noises Off, opens at Durban's Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre this week.
The poster ban has so enraged the show's producer and director, Steven Stead of Durban's KickstArt theatre company, that he has called on the public, via email and Facebook, to write to municipal manager Michael Sutcliffe to complain.
He believes the theatre community is being victimised and that double standards are at work.
"They allow ads for a strip venue on city bins and bus shelters, as well as club posters depicting bondage nuns and busty nurses suggestively licking lollies," he said.
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"Double standards? Institutional bullying? Not acceptable in a democratic, liberal country. Even the Nats would not have insisted on stars on our poster picture."
Stead said he had been informed that the poster for his production of the hit Michael Frayn farce could not be displayed on street poles in the "interests of public safety".
"It really is hard enough making quality theatre in this country, and yet harder (and prohibitively costly) to market and advertise, and the municipality is simply making it almost impossible," he added.
"We are now 10 days behind with our advertising campaign after wrangling with them, and drawing embarrassing, concealing skirts on the image (which were still rejected because 'the lady hasn't got enough clothes on').
"We stand to lose a great deal of money from the delay."
Noises Off is a farce about a farce - a clever send-up about a theatre company whose backstage bickerings and comedy are more dramatic than that in the show they take from rehearsal to opening night.
The cast includes award-winning local actors Lisa Bobbert, Ben Voss, Peter Court, Darren King, Bryan Hiles and Michael Gritten.
The play is also the flagship production at this year's Hilton Arts Festival, to be held at Hilton College from September 18 to 20.
Municipal officials said they would respond to questions about the poster on Monday.
What do you think about the issue? Email your comments to mercletter@inl.co.za
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This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on August 17, 2009
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