WA apologises after China embarrassed over Taiwan dance performance at State Theatre Centre

WA's taxpayer-owned State Theatre Centre has apologised to the Chinese government after it allowed a Taiwanese performing arts group to hire its facilities.

According to the Perth Theatre Trust, the state government body which manages the theatre, the Chinese consul in WA was embarrassed when "a flag was raised that did not align with the Commonwealth's one-China policy" at a performance of the Taiwanese Acrobatic Troupe.

Falun Gong-linked Shen Yun dance troupe, which is based in New York, failed to secure a booking at a WA theatre in 2020.Credit: Must Do Brisbane

The People's Republic of China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, but this is rejected by the controversial east-Asian democracy, which maintains informal diplomatic relations with Australia even though its independence is not recognised by most countries.

In March last year, the Perth Theatre Trust's venues director Glenn Hall apologised in person at China's consulate in East Perth when officials requested a meeting about the Taiwanese performance.

Details of the apology were revealed in documents released under freedom of information to a performing arts group linked to Falun Gong which was refused permission by the state government to hire His Majesty's Theatre.

Falun Gong is a Chinese meditation and religious group banned by Beijing's communist regime, with practitioners facing arbitrary imprisonment and repressive measures for opposing the government.

Last year it was described by a Chinese foreign ministry official as a "heretical cult and an anti-China political organisation that has always been engaging in smearing campaigns against China", a claim the group disputes.

A file note by Mr Hall said he told the Perth agent of New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts, which was established by Falun Gong practitioners to promote China's culture and protest against its authoritarian government, he was concerned the state government's theatre venues could be brought into disrepute.

Shen Yun, which had previously performed at the Regal Theatre, had been trying to book His Majesty's Theatre for a dance concert.

An advertisement for the Taiwan Acrobatic Troupe, which performed at WA's State Theatre Centre in March 2019.

According to the file note, Mr Hall cited the embarrassment caused to the Chinese consulate during the Taiwan performance.

He said he couldn't recall if the Commonwealth acknowledged the PRC's One-China policy, "however, none-the-less, it had caused embarrassment to their Perth office and on behalf of the venue I apologised".

The FOI documents also reveal the Perth Theatre Trust flagged groups associated with the Taiwanese acrobats with warnings on their accounts so they would be dealt with according to a "contentious hirer policy" after the complaint from the Chinese consulate.

The Shen Yun dance troupe received confirmation from the Perth Theatre Trust during the same week as the Taiwan performance it had been "pencilled in" behind another possible booking in March, 2020, at His Majesty's Theatre.

But despite repeated attempts to confirm, the troupe received a letter in October 2019, from the Perth Theatre Trust's general manager Duncan Ord advising their request to book His Majesty's had been declined.

"PTT do not believe that a subsidised state government building is appropriate for this commercial product, which has no alignment to WA or national arts policy," he said.

This is despite agreeing to permit the Taiwanese Acrobatic Troupe to hire the State Theatre Centre in 2019.

Other controversial groups with no apparent link to WA or national arts policy have been permitted to hire state government theatres. In 2016, the Xinjiang Association hosted the Xinjiang Provincial Culture Week at the State Theatre Centre.

A spokeswoman for the Perth Theatre Trust reiterated it did not believe a state government building was an appropriate venue for Shen Yun, which it said had "no connection to WA arts development or policy".

"PTT suggested that a more commercially focussed venue as previously used by the producers might better suit their needs," she said.

The spokeswoman described the performance of the Taiwanese Acrobatic Troupe as a private event and said it acknowledged the raising of a flag that did not align with the One-China policy had "caused some embarrassment to the consul".

A spokesman for WA Arts Minister David Templeman said the MP did not get involved in the day-to-day operations of the Perth Theatre Trust.

But documents released under FOI laws show Mr Templeman's office sought advice from the Department of Premier and Cabinet's protocol branch and the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation's China adviser before deciding against intervening in the matter.

The China adviser said his department agreed with the approach proposed by Mr Templeman's office and asked that the matter be left "at a venue level only".

"The minister is, and remains confident, that the decisions made by Perth Theatre Trust have not been influenced by the Chinese government," Mr Templeman's spokesman said.

"It is appropriate that a state-subsidised venue prioritise West Australian arts development and practice and note that the organisation had previously hired fully-commercial spaces."

Shen Yun will not appear in Perth in 2020, but is booked to perform at Victoria's State Theatre in March.