The consul's wife, a naked lady and Fringe ban

The wife of the Spanish consul-general has blasted "conservative" Edinburgh after the flyer promoting her play was banned for featuring a drawing of a naked woman.

Acclaimed director Asa Gim Palomera paid 1000 for the artwork advertising her play Prodigal Daughter, one of C Venues' top dramas this year.

But she has been told the poster is "inappropriate" because C Venues is also hosting a number of children's shows.

Mrs Palomera, whose husband Federico is Spain's representative in Scotland, said she had also been turned away from many city centre shops.

"It's a rather sedate attitude and it wasn't something we predicted," she said. "I'm stunned by it. We have been trying to put the posters up in other areas but people are very conservative here.

"The Fringe and the city don't really go together. What is the idea of the Fringe? It's supposed to be one of the biggest and most important festivals in the world."

Mrs Palomera, who lives at Royal Circus in the New Town, founded the Australian-based Women of Asia Theatre when her husband was posted in Melbourne. Her plays, renowned for strong sexual imagery, have won critical acclaim across the world.

She said: "I thought the idea of the Edinburgh Fringe was freedom of expression, and productions that can't be shown in classical theatre can be shown here.

"I received a letter from the venue saying the poster would offend children, but I write very mature theatre. The image was produced by a very respected designer who has been an art director for Sir Norman Foster."

She added that the posters had also been used to promote the play in Australia, where they had received a very different reaction.

"There really was no concern in Melbourne," she said. "A few cast members said their local coffee shops had been a little wary of putting them up, because they were a bit risque, but that was all we heard."

Prodigal Daughter will be staged at C Venue 34 in Chambers Street next month. The company puts up posters and distributes fliers for its shows for free, but all must be submitted for approval. Mrs Palomera has now paid out another 1000 for redesigned artwork.

C Venues' press manager, Kieran Heyley, today defended the company's decision. He said: "We take 20 per cent of house stock and distribute them for free, which no other venue does. But we have 50 shows for children and felt this poster was inappropriate. Unfortunately, we don't have a facility for taking down and putting up posters at different times of the day."

But Mr Heyley added that it had been a real coup to attract Prodigal Daughter to C Venues. He said: "The production is one of our top ten dramas."

Korean-American Mrs Palomera wrote Prodigal Daughter while living in Spain, before first bringing it to the stage in Australia. The play tells the story of an American general's encounter with a small Korean family during the Korean war. Over the course of the play the family's shameful secret is revealed.