Atlanta Police Shut Down Naked Boys Singing
Tue. December 14, 2004 12:00 AM
Atlanta, GA -
Naked Boys Singing! the Off-Broadway hit sensation has productions all across the world. On Saturday evening, the ATLANTA, GA production was shut down by the Atlanta Police Department – Department of Licensing & Permits, calling the performance “adult entertainment” and in violation of zoning laws.
The Sergeant in charge of the indictment had wanted to charge each performer with indecent exposure, but the show’s producers, Robert & Donna Darroch convinced them not to.
“We feel that this attack on our production may have been an attempt to shut down another gay bar in Atlanta,” says Robert Darroch, Producer. “This citation by the police department did not happen as we opened, but rather, 17 weeks into the production.”
The police cited the Armory for not having an adult entertainment license and showing nudity. When the issue has come up previously in other cities, Naked Boys Singing! has received acclaim as legitimate theater that celebrates male nudity, not sex, and not pornography. The Armory, whose sister bar, Backstreet, was closed on July 17, is a gay bar located in downtown Atlanta. It’s liquor license is up for renewal in January, 2005. Currently, Naked Boys Singing! Atlanta is on hold. The producers have asked the Mayor of the City of Atlanta to step in and show her support for the Arts and the gay community by clearly stating that she recognizes the artistic efforts that went into Naked Boys Singing! If not, the producers vow to litigate the show in the Georgia Court System.
According to Michelle Johnson, the Manager of the Production, three female plainclothes officers identifying themselves as from the Department of Licensing & Permits entered the building and asked to see a copy of the Amory Bar’s Liquor License, saying, “we hear you have adult entertainment here.” After examining the document in question, the trio asked Ms. Johnson whether there was a strip show in the back room. After she explained that the Off-Broadway show, Naked Boys Singing! was performing in the back, the trio asked to look at the show.
After watching a few minutes the police called their Sergeant and were told to stop the show and cite the bar for having stripping in a cabaret space and book each member of the cast with indecent exposure.
The Sergeant was called down to the Armory bar, in downtown Atlanta, where he talked about the show with the Producers and Ms. Johnson, then stuck his head in and decided that the show was indecent and needed to be stopped immediately.
This was not the only anti-gay activity on Saturday in Atlanta. The 25,000 member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church organized an anti-gay marriage march to help set “a moral agenda” in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. According to New Birth's Web site, the march advocated "a constitutional amendment to fully protect marriage between one man and one woman."
The police cited Armory for not having an adult entertainment license while showing Naked Boys Singing! which was not litigated in Atlanta as a legitimate theatrical production, as it has been in several other American cities Naked Boys Singing! Atlanta is currently waiting for litigation in the Georgia State Courts.
Unfortunately, this was also not the first time a township has tried to close Naked Boys Singing! In August of 2001, the Provincetown, MA production of NBS! was shut down by the local officials, citing that NBS! was adult entertainment. NBS! Provincetown won its case against the State of Massachusetts two years later regarding its production and was allowed to perform without harassment in the summer of 2004.
Naked Boys Singing! San Juan was also closed in August of 2003 by the Department of Culture in concern for the Tapia Theater’s ‘good name and prestige.’ A judge lifted the ban and the production went forward without further incident.
Naked Boys Singing! is currently playing in New York City, Chicago (performances at the Bailiwick) and Atlanta in the US and about to start a European tour in 2005. The show features sixteen feel good songs celebrating the trials and tribulations of being naked. The show has played Off-Broadway for more than 2,100 performances and been translated into 5 languages and been performed in 40 cities worldwide. Written and directed legitimate professionals, including award-winning author Bruce Villanch, this show has raised over $500,000 for charities and has been enjoyed by 1/2 million people worldwide!
Related on the Web: http://www.nakedboyssingingatlanta.com
The Sergeant in charge of the indictment had wanted to charge each performer with indecent exposure, but the show’s producers, Robert & Donna Darroch convinced them not to.
“We feel that this attack on our production may have been an attempt to shut down another gay bar in Atlanta,” says Robert Darroch, Producer. “This citation by the police department did not happen as we opened, but rather, 17 weeks into the production.”
The police cited the Armory for not having an adult entertainment license and showing nudity. When the issue has come up previously in other cities, Naked Boys Singing! has received acclaim as legitimate theater that celebrates male nudity, not sex, and not pornography. The Armory, whose sister bar, Backstreet, was closed on July 17, is a gay bar located in downtown Atlanta. It’s liquor license is up for renewal in January, 2005. Currently, Naked Boys Singing! Atlanta is on hold. The producers have asked the Mayor of the City of Atlanta to step in and show her support for the Arts and the gay community by clearly stating that she recognizes the artistic efforts that went into Naked Boys Singing! If not, the producers vow to litigate the show in the Georgia Court System.
According to Michelle Johnson, the Manager of the Production, three female plainclothes officers identifying themselves as from the Department of Licensing & Permits entered the building and asked to see a copy of the Amory Bar’s Liquor License, saying, “we hear you have adult entertainment here.” After examining the document in question, the trio asked Ms. Johnson whether there was a strip show in the back room. After she explained that the Off-Broadway show, Naked Boys Singing! was performing in the back, the trio asked to look at the show.
After watching a few minutes the police called their Sergeant and were told to stop the show and cite the bar for having stripping in a cabaret space and book each member of the cast with indecent exposure.
The Sergeant was called down to the Armory bar, in downtown Atlanta, where he talked about the show with the Producers and Ms. Johnson, then stuck his head in and decided that the show was indecent and needed to be stopped immediately.
This was not the only anti-gay activity on Saturday in Atlanta. The 25,000 member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church organized an anti-gay marriage march to help set “a moral agenda” in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. According to New Birth's Web site, the march advocated "a constitutional amendment to fully protect marriage between one man and one woman."
The police cited Armory for not having an adult entertainment license while showing Naked Boys Singing! which was not litigated in Atlanta as a legitimate theatrical production, as it has been in several other American cities Naked Boys Singing! Atlanta is currently waiting for litigation in the Georgia State Courts.
Unfortunately, this was also not the first time a township has tried to close Naked Boys Singing! In August of 2001, the Provincetown, MA production of NBS! was shut down by the local officials, citing that NBS! was adult entertainment. NBS! Provincetown won its case against the State of Massachusetts two years later regarding its production and was allowed to perform without harassment in the summer of 2004.
Naked Boys Singing! San Juan was also closed in August of 2003 by the Department of Culture in concern for the Tapia Theater’s ‘good name and prestige.’ A judge lifted the ban and the production went forward without further incident.
Naked Boys Singing! is currently playing in New York City, Chicago (performances at the Bailiwick) and Atlanta in the US and about to start a European tour in 2005. The show features sixteen feel good songs celebrating the trials and tribulations of being naked. The show has played Off-Broadway for more than 2,100 performances and been translated into 5 languages and been performed in 40 cities worldwide. Written and directed legitimate professionals, including award-winning author Bruce Villanch, this show has raised over $500,000 for charities and has been enjoyed by 1/2 million people worldwide!
Related on the Web: http://www.nakedboyssingingatlanta.com