''Golgota Picnic'' ("
Golgotha
Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early mediev ...
Picnic") is a 2011 play by the Argentinian playwright
Rodrigo García that has attracted criticism from
conservative Christian groups.
Theme
García described the play as interweaving serious critique of consumer society, despair over the human race through a deconstruction of
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
.
For Golgota Picnic, Rodrigo Garcia has collaborated for the first time with musician
Marino Formenti, who performs in the show "The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour On the Cross" by Joseph Haydn on a piano, completely naked.
The play has been shown in a number of countries, including Spain.
[
]
Controversies
The play has attracted criticism from conservative Christian groups.[ Its performance in 2011 in the French city of Toulouse, and subsequently in Paris, led to protests by French Catholics.][ The head of the Théâtre du Rond-Point received death threats before the play's opening.][ Despite the protests, Christian activists' request to have the play banned in France were futile.][ Protests against the play have in turn aroused criticism from groups defending free speech.][ In 2011 Christian protestors in France faced counter-demonstrations by free speech groups.][
In 2014 protests Polish Catholics and nationalist activists protested against staging of this play in Poland.]Stanisław Gądecki
Stanisław Gądecki (born 1949) is the archbishop of Poznan, Poland. He is a Polish Roman Catholic church, Roman Catholic Bishop, Doctor of theology, doctor of Theological Sciences, and archbishop of Poznań since 2002. and serves as president of ...
. While the play was staged in theaters across Poland, theater goers faced hostile crowds attempting to bar them entry, singing religious ceremony, shouting criticism of the play, and on occasions, attempting to perform exorcisms.[ Several theaters have caved in and cancelled the play.][ The play was also withdrawn from the ]Malta Festival Poznań
Malta Festival Poznań (until 2009: Malta International Theatre Festival) – international theatre festival held annually in June or at the turn of June and July in Poznań, Poland, since 1991.
The name ''Malta'' derives from Lake Malta loca ...
due to fears of riots.[ García described this as a religion-inspired censorship.][ Meanwhile, politicians from the conservative ]Law and Justice
Law and Justice ( pl, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , PiS) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Poland. Its chairman is Jarosław Kaczyński.
It was founded in 2001 by Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński as a direct su ...
party said that the play violates Polish blasphemy laws (Article 196 of the Polish Criminal Code which states that the "anyone who offends the religious feelings of other people an besubject to a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment for up to two years"), and filed a motion with prosecutions for investigation.[ Polish culture minister Małgorzata Omilanowska supported the artists by saying "Freedom of artistic expression is the basis of democracy and the constitution."][ A major newspaper, '' Gazeta Wyborcza'', published the script on 28 June.][
]
References
{{reflist
Satirical plays
French-language plays
Spanish-language plays
2011 plays
Obscenity controversies