2024 marks the 20-year anniversary of the cancellation of Behzti at the Birmingham Reparatory Theatre.

Behzti (Dishonour) was a play by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, scheduled to be staged at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2004. The play, which depicted a rape in a Sikh temple, was cancelled after violent protests caused thousands of pounds in damage and forced the playwright into hiding. In the months leading up to the protests, the theatre attempted to engage with members of the Sikh community who were angered by the play’s setting, but the two sides were ultimately unable to find a compromise. The incident provoked a debate on the balance between artistic freedom and religious sensibilities, the status of women within minority communities, and whether a theatre should prioritise artistic principles over the safety of its audiences and employees.

In this episode, playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah and Museum of Colour Director Samenua travel back to 2004 to talk to the people involved in the play and its cancellation, asking: Does art have the right to offend? Is protest under threat? And do venues have an obligation to stand by their artists, no matter what?

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