Terf - the play at the Edinburgh Festival

[Grammarnut]

What is going on with this play on the Fringe? The playwright says he has had death threats. He also says he would like JKR to see the play but he wouldn't want to meet her, but his play is balanced on this controversial topic. He also says he chose the name 'Terfs' for the play because of the behaviour of some of those who hold GC views.

I suppose Joshua Kaplan thought he was being terribly daring and edgy to write an unresearched, inflammatorily-titled 'play'. I'd guess he also hopes to gain notoriety and popularity as a writer.

He fails miserably on all counts. I do hope he manages to find a career that suits him better. A clown, perhaps, whose speciality is shouting "POO BUM WILLY" at his audience before running away.

Hi, It's on this thread:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/womensrights/4993459-edinburgh-arts-group-to-launch-play-about-jkr-called-terf-ct-where-daniel-rupert-and-emma-stage-an-intervention?reply=137258316
Bindel demolishes him.

Oh sorry for being annoying - I was on my phone & running, so didn't post a link. I follow Ms Bindel on her Substack so I watched it there, but I think the YouTube link is probably better.

Julie Bindel just wipes the floor with him - he didn't do the requisite research that a decent playwright might have done (and I know the business of playwriting!)

I dont think he ever had to do research. This isn't a factual play. I'd have liked him to explain why he changed the name, which he wouldn't do. Obviously.

protests appear to have been some light tutting

😂

Watching Julie Bindel and Kaplan on Spectator TV.
The man is clearly an idiot and yet another mediocrity using JK Rowling to boost their careers.
And how can he not be on X to write this of all pieces?
They are so transparent.
And not just Tras but on our side too.

I just want to offer kudos for using "playwright" and "playwriting".

Thank you, although kudos not really needed - I'm just literate!

Although, actually years ago I was part of a very interesting egghead academic debate about "playwrighting" as in crafting a play like a wheelwright - arcane stuff we talk about in seminars ...

Lots of writers do research for fiction.

It's just so creepy and weird to think you can write a play about a real living person and their experiences without their consent or involvement. Doubly so when you clearly dislike that person and and putting words in their mouth that they didn't say. It just gives me a really visceral shuddery reaction. Watching him squirm before Bindel was excellent, though, thanks for that.

I am aware of that. But it isn't the law to have to do so.

Of course it isn't.

But a good writer, who is referencing real people and events, probably would.

I suppose that's the difference between a successful writer and Joshua Kaplan.

I think JK is in Canada, Banff area

A good writer will do research for fiction, it's lazy not to do so. I think Kaplan is steeped in TWAW and doesn't understand that his view is not everyone's view or that many women in the UK and US think well of JKR.

So you guys can judge him without even seeing the play, but he isn't allowed to put a play on without doing his research?

Do you not see a problem with this?

He absolutely can write whatever he wants but no one is obliged to pay to see it. Why would any woman want to go and see a play originally titled terf cunt? You’d need to have a strong self-loathing to put a penny in the directors pocket.

The difference is that women are not standing outside screaming at or threatening physical violence to the director, cast or audience. That’s what trans activists do.

Lots of content is a bit shit or just not for you. As consumers we are judging stuff constantly. It’s up to the producers of content to make it enticing to their target market.

According to reviewers the play is overlong and not great. The only thing going for it was publicity sound bites due to its provocative title and divisive content.

He admitted he'd done no research, so it's a work of fiction. Reviews suggest it is not very good - since one was in The Guardian (woke central, afaik) I am prepared to believe the reviews are right. Also, most of us have neither time nor wherewithal to go to the Edinbugh festival just to see it.

My comment about research is in relation to Julie Bindel's discussion of the play with him. She asked him a series of questions, and his answers demonstrated how little he knew about the UK context, or the offensive sexist nature of the words TERF and cunt in the UK. Generally, when someone wants to write fiction or fiction about something they don't know much about, they do some research to find out.

Maybe his play is "good" but from the reviews, I doubt it. There's a lot of crap at the Edinburgh Fringe - I go every year and see about 6 shows per day over 4 to 5 days - I'd say 1 or 2 out of every 5 performances is worth watching - more if I'm lucky.

There's no quality control - if you have around £5,000 then you can put on a show. That's the rough amount that it costs to hire a venue + technicians etc and print those endless flyers & posters. Add to that accommodation & cast costs - if you're paying your cast, that is.

Omlettes · 05/08/2024 18:56

Watching Julie Bindel and Kaplan on Spectator TV. The man is clearly an idiot and yet another mediocrity...

I was cringing for him, he wasn't very articulate, just coming from an emotional standpoint and when JB stated her case eloquently, he said, "I'm done with this." He's obviously spoiled and not used to being challenged.

OMG the YouTube link!! I could only listen to 5 minutes of him waffling on!

He really is thick as mince!

I'm paraphrasing but at one point he says it's a family chat with JK and Daniel and Emma who he thinks are siblings which he doesn't think is true but in his head it's true! WTF.

Off to find the Julie's part. Couldn't bare to listen to him anymore.

Claimed his mother has received death threats.
Did anyone else assume that these threats were from her son when she told him that his play was not very good and he should be nice to that Rowling lady?

I'm afraid I don't really believe these people when they say they've had death threats. They started saying this after women spoke out about the actual death and rape threats they'd received from transactivists. I just think it's that weird thing they do where they take whatever it is we're talking about and say it's happening to them.

That and a dose of "People disagree with me" = "People hate me and want me to die".

Typical person when being confronted with questions that he doesn't know the answer just waffles in and attacks "but you haven't seeeeeen it" you can't judge meeee. (But I'm allowed to judge and insult a woman I've never met and have imaginary conversations with other people I've never met).

He can't even explain what his own play is about, admits to doing zero research, just an imaginary conversation between kids and their mother. What research did he even do to support his side of things? He can't even tell us who/when responses were made on twitter etc.

He sounds like a 15 yo trying to be edgy and drawing dashed lines on his wrists and a small pair of scissors... YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND 😭😭😭

He didn't seem to know about the death threats etc JKR has had, nor that her address had been published with the suggestion people go there to protest against her. He was utterly clueless - is this because he lives in the NYC bubble?