Tyres slashed in attack at Sydney gay play 'Hold the Man'

[ravena1]

The cast, crew and audience of a play about a gay couple have had their tyres slashed weeks after its posters were ripped down in Sydney's north.

At least 12 people had their tyres punctured or slashed at Lane Cove Theatre Company's penultimate performance of Holding the Man on Saturday, president Lochie Beh told AAP.

The sold-out production is based on Timothy Conigrave's 1995 autobiographical book about his 15-year relationship with high school footballer John Caleo.

Mr Beh said he can only assume the latest attack is some sort a hate crime.

The Lane Cove Theatre Company has staging a performance of Hold the Man. Photo: Facebook
"We realise that the play has a little bit of controversy to it but we've not had anybody that's actually come forward to say we are not happy about you putting on this show," he said.

"We can only feel like we are being attacked for a reason that we're actually unsure of."

Posters advertising the play were torn down from the Lane Cove area earlier this month and found in the bin.

Mr Beh couldn't say whether the targeted attacks were directly linked to the upcoming same-sex marriage postal survey.

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"I would say… that it must have something to do with it based on the fact that it's happened around the same time frame," he said.

The company hasn't had any other trouble in its 22 years of performances, he said.

"We're an amateur theatre company that tells stories so for us to have such controversy surrounding a play... it's just astonishing," he said.

He said the cast and crew were feeling "disappointed" and "hurt" but were maintaining positivity for Sunday's final performance.

At least 12 cars were targeted. Photo: AAP

NSW Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman, who attended the play's opening night, said the "hateful attacks" were "disgraceful" and should be condemned.
"It's an appalling attack on basically a local amateur theatre group who are going about their normal business of putting on a show," Mr Zimmerman told Sky News.

"To have the tyres of patrons and the crews slashed is just completely unacceptable and not something we should be tolerating in Australian society."