China and the censor

A fascinating video has appeared on the Guardian website, about China's first gay pageant - Mr. Gay China. Apparently it's even been given positive coverage on the English-language branch of state-sponsored media (not yet the Chinese-language branch). Following on from last year's events in Beijing, with people calling in public for gay marriage, it would seem that the tongzhi community is now very visible - almost mainstream in the cities, at least. It's an important moment to be showing the Trilogy.

We've been discussing the censor, who will be wielding the blue pencil before the plays are shown in Shanghai. None of the gay scenes are a problem - although we can't be explicit about it. The problem - as so often - is politics. In particular, the Mme. Mao scenes in Dis-Orientations will never pass the censor. I'm going to see if I can re-work them, so it's all done through the performance of A Doll's House - which might be theatrically exciting, and will allow a Chinese audience to make their own connections. We can point things for the UK audience with projected titles, and then cut them for China. Well - that's the hunch, anyway.