Australia banned this anti-fascist play in 1936 at the request of the Nazis. Ninety years on, it’s being staged again
News Source
•Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:00:53 GMT
📰 What Happened
A play banned in Australia in 1936 is being staged again, 90 years later. Clifford Odets' 'Till the Day I Die' was outlawed by the federal government at the request of the Nazi consul general.
The ban happened because the play was said to offend a 'friendly foreign nation.' It is about a communist Berliner arrested by the Nazis for making left-wing pamphlets.
Now theatre-makers Mark Wilson and Katie Sfetkidis are restaging it for the Melbourne Fringe festival in October. It will be performed on the back of a truck in the Trades Hall car park.
🔍 The Backstory
The play premiered on Broadway in 1935, a companion to Odets' more famous 'Waiting for Lefty.' When Australia banned it, the outcry was huge, and artists staged it secretly on a truck at Collingwood town hall in Melbourne.
That truck became a symbol of rebellion for Wilson and Sfetkidis. They have gathered almost 30 professional actors for their new production.
Sfetkidis said the play still matters today, at a time when people are scared to discuss politics for fear of upsetting someone.
🎯 Why It Matters
The revival links a 90-year-old fight against fascism to today's debates about free speech and political courage. It shows how art can push back against censorship.
A play banned in Australia in 1936 is being staged again, 90 years later. Clifford Odets' 'Till the Day I Die' was outlawed by the federal government at the request of the Nazi consul general.
The ban happened because the play was said to offend a 'friendly foreign nation.' It is about a communist Berliner arrested by the Nazis for making left-wing pamphlets.
Now theatre-makers Mark Wilson and Katie Sfetkidis are restaging it for the Melbourne Fringe festival in October. It will be performed on the back of a truck in the Trades Hall car park.
The play premiered on Broadway in 1935, a companion to Odets' more famous 'Waiting for Lefty.' When Australia banned it, the outcry was huge, and artists staged it secretly on a truck at Collingwood town hall in Melbourne.
That truck became a symbol of rebellion for Wilson and Sfetkidis. They have gathered almost 30 professional actors for their new production.
Sfetkidis said the play still matters today, at a time when people are scared to discuss politics for fear of upsetting someone.
The revival links a 90-year-old fight against fascism to today's debates about free speech and political courage. It shows how art can push back against censorship.