An Edinburgh Fringe play about JK Rowling’s trans views has had to change its venue amid safety concerns.
The critical play, originally called Terf C*** but now shortened to just Terf, imagines the Harry Potter cast “investigating the causes and potential consequences” of Rowling’s views on gender.
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson – the three leads of the franchise – have all publicly slammed Rowling’s opinions on the matter in real life.
The show, originally intended to be performed at the St Stephen’s theatre, has now been moved to the Assembly Rooms – one of the “Big Four” promoters at the Fringe.
The venue’s owner, Peter Schaufuss, decided to drop the show following the “unexpected” backlash from the press and the public.
Joshua Kaplan, the American screenwriter of the play, said the new venue will offer the play “greater freedom, resources and a safer space”.
Kaplan said he thinks the name of the play, which is an acronym for “trans-exclusionary radical feminism”, is what has caused the biggest problem for Schaufuss.
“Saint Stephens were not prepared and had not considered all the aspects around this,” he said.
Barry Church-Woods, Terf’s producer, added: “They never gave us the reason they felt they were not capable or able to present our play.”
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Despite Saint Stephens offering the production team some compromises in order to keep the show at the original location, Kaplan and Church-Woods claimed they had no other option but to move venues, The Times has reported.
Derek Douglas, from Hill Street Theatre Venues, which held the contract between Saint Stephens and Terf, said “nobody is trying to censure anybody”, but the venue needed to feel safe legally to go ahead with the performances.
Dani Rae, the managing director of Assembly Festival, the play’s new home, said that she viewed the backlash as “understandable”.
She said: “It is extremely topical, which is what makes the Fringe great.
“The Fringe has always been an open access festival and there’s no better place to explore important balanced talking points such as this.”
Terf’s production crew initially approached the Assembly Rooms back in January, who turned down the offer due to concerns about protests.
The team then dropped the “C***” from the title after public backlash, with Church-Woods stating: “It was admittedly a misstep on our part.”
Other issues for the play included a struggle to fill the cast. It is understood that 90 actresses didn’t respond after they were sent the script.
Kaplan concluded: “See the play. Come to your own conclusion. Challenge yourself, challenge me, challenge JK Rowling, but do it on the basis of the play.”
Rowling is an advocate for female-only spaces and the rights of biological women which has led to a boycott of her books.
Some activists have previously branded the writer a “terf” – it is often seen as a slur by gender-critical people who are of the belief that you cannot change sex.
