CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS?
by DV8 Physical Theatre (2011/12)
"Every so often, a performance comes along that not only reconfigures the limits of the form, but also redefines and rearticulates how we see the world... Without a doubt, it is one of the most important works of our age. Go."
Time Out Sydney
Lloyd Newson’s work, Can We Talk About This? deals with freedom of speech, censorship and Islam. The production premiered in August 2011 at Sydney Opera House, followed by an international tour.
From the 1989 book burnings of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, to the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh and the controversy of the ‘Muhammad cartoons’ in 2005, DV8’s production will examine how these events have reflected and influenced multicultural policies, press freedom and artistic censorship.
In the follow up to the critically acclaimed To Be Straight With You, this documentary-style dance-theatre production will use real-life interviews and archive footage. Contributors include a number of high profile writers, campaigners and politicians.
"The liberal fear of giving offence has simply made it easier to take offence."Kenan Malik, author of From Fatwa to Jihad
"It is very, very easy not to be offended by a book. You just have to shut it."Salman Rushdie
"A brilliant piece of theatre. In tackling the subject of multiculturalism, it crosses the boundaries of dance, documentary drama and sound. It sits somewhere in its own space... a rare experience…..extraordinary"
The Sydney Morning Herald