They said that it had been brought to their attention that the play being produced that evening contained "objectionable passages", which had to be removed if the performance was to proceed.
The play in question was the opening production of the inaugural Dublin Theatre Festival, The Rose Tattoo, by Tennessee Williams.
The theatre continued the play's run on stage, while an intellectual revolt against the closing of The Rose Tattoo came not only from Ireland but also from the continent, led by playwrights Samuel Beckett, Seán O'Casey, and Brendan Behan.
[1] Simpson went on to work for the Abbey Theatre, while Swift went into television and had a long association as scriptwriter with the children's program Wanderly Wagon.
The artist Reginald Gray designed many settings for The Pike Theatre, including the production of The Rose Tattoo.