Martin McDonagh Says Theatres Have Refused to Perform His Plays Because He Wouldn't Make Language More 'Palatable'

According to an interview with BBC Radio 4, Martin McDonagh says that theatres have refused to perform his plays because he would not allow them to change the language.

Despite not being a stranger to controversial subject matter, McDonagh says that "only in the past few years have I had theatre companies refuse to do my plays, because they don't like some of the wording in them."

Theatres often want to make the language "more palatable to them or what they think their audience is," he said, despite him being "an established writer who sells tickets".

He says this is a "major problem," and blames "petty outrage" by the venues, noting that theatre is becoming "a dangerous place" for writers. However, the writer/director does think it is a "good idea to write something that's dangerous or explosive."

McDonagh went on to say that said state-sponsored censorship of writers is "not getting any better", adding: "It seems like governments are becoming increasingly more scared of dissenting voices."

"I think it's a very frightening time," he said, adding that new writers should "get off social media", "stop checking the internet" and "go out and outrage".

Martin is an award-winning writer/director, and Hangmen marks his seventh play to be produced on Broadway. His plays include The Beauty Queen of Leenane, A Skull in Connemara, The Lonesome West, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Pillowman, A Behanding in Spokane, and Hangmen. His most recent film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, won Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards for Best Picture and McDonagh's screenplay. His other film work as writer/director includes Seven Psychopaths, In Bruges, and his Oscar-winning short, Six Shooter. His newest film, The Banshees of Inisherin, was released last year and won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy.