Special rules exist if a charity wishes to campaign for a political cause. The Charity Commission of England and Wales has published guidance to help distinguish between activities that are allowed, and those that are not.

In summary, an organisation formed with the expressed objective to campaign for a political purpose will not be allowed to be charitable. However, an organisation that uses drama to further its aims (perhaps in educating the public in the arts) and chooses to perform a play with a political message should be allowed – since the political message is ancilliary and incidental to its main aim.

However, trustees will always need to carefully consider whether a production of a politically sensitive work is in the best interest of their organisation – a high profile cancellation of a play could be costly (for example, Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s cancellation of its production of Behzti in December 2004 following unrest and discussions with members of the local Sikh community).

Special consideration should be given to the wording in any insurance policies for cancellation in these circumstances in case exclusion clauses preclude a payout.

Guidance on Charity Commission website