Court Premieres New Churchill Play on Gaza Crisis
A new short play by Caryl Churchill (pictured), written in response to the current Gaza crisis, will be presented at the Royal Court next month for free, with a collection taken afterwards for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP): Emergency Appeal for the People of Gaza.
The play, billed as a “ten minute history of Israel”, is directed by Royal Court artistic director Dominic Cooke. Announcing the production, Cooke said: “I have long been interested in the genesis of the conflict in the Middle East, so it was very exciting to receive Caryl’s powerful and humane play on the subject … its resonance goes way beyond the present in its understanding of the roots of the tragedy that’s now unfolding in Gaza.”
The script will be available to download for free from 11 February from the websites of the Royal Court, Caryl Churchill’s publisher Nick Hern Books and her agents Casarotto Ramsay Ltd. There will be no charge for performance rights, on the condition that a collection is made for MAP.
Churchill, who says she “wrote this as a small response to what has happened in Gaza in the last few weeks”, has a long association with the Royal Court dating back to her time as a resident dramatist in the 1970s. She is often heralded as one of the most influential playwrights of the last 50 years, with credits including Cloud Nine, Top Girls and Serious Money. Last year the Sloane Square venue presented a special season of readings to mark her 70th birthday (See News, 12 Jun 2008).
– by Theo Bosanquet
