Sir, - Your list of events during the decade 1950-59 (The Irish Times, October 26th) included the arrest of Alan Simpson, my co-director at the Pike Theatre, for "producing for gain an indecent and profane performance". The only thing incorrect is the statement that he was arrested "because a condom appeared on stage during the production of Tennessee Williams's The Rose Tattoo".
In fact no condom was used. Nor was any prop in the likeness of a condom. This was acknowledged by one of the witnesses when asked if a condom had been dropped. "No," Garda Martin replied, "but I'm sure it was a condom that was not dropped!" This was a back-handed compliment to the acting ability of Anna Manahan as Serafina and Pat Nolan as Alvaro, for they mimed the whole episode.
Moreover, we were never able to discover what was considered objectionable about the production, for the gardai when asked pleaded privilege. This fact clearly weighed with the District Justice when he threw the case out of court, for he commented that "Mr Simpson was never given the option of making any alteration to his production. In fact, the whole case smacked of the border principle of shoot first and ask questions afterwards." - Yours, etc.,
Carolyn Swift, Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4.