Theatre

The life of Rachel Corrie

Robin Sivapalan reviews My Name Is Rachel Corrie, now showing at the Playhouse Theatre London It is three years since American International Solidarity Movement activist Rachel was deliberately ploughed down by an Israeli Defence Force bulldozer in Gaza while trying to stop Palestinian houses from being demolished. The ISM have now disbanded. Palestinian homes are still being demolished. And Rachel Corrie’s diaries have been adapted into a performance monologue. It is a genuinely moving play, and Rachel Corrie’s life and outlook is inspiring. The title comes from video footage of the activist...

Migrant Voices

Migrant Voices is a play which explores the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees in 21st century Britain. Based on in-depth interviews with Iraqi Kurds living in Salford, the show combines live music, drama and video to depict some of the harsh realities behind the media myths. It shows people who have fled their homes to escape torture and persecution only to find themselves the victims of racist abuse and intimidation, with insecure and badly paid jobs and substandard housing. It also looks at the causes of the global instability that makes people into refugees. For more information...

Migrant Voices play - 8 June - Newcastle - FREE

Please forward to anyone who may be interested:

FREE theatre performance, Banner Theatre company's
MIGRANT VOICES - Thurs 8 June - 7pm
Moorside School, Beaconsfield St, Arthurs Hill, Newcastle

Hosted by Newcastle City Unison

More info contact:

Migrant Voices: Touring in 2006

Migrant...

The myths of Jesus

Gerry Bates reviews The Pauline Conspiracy by Peter Burton The history of Christianity is irretrievably myth-ridden. Little is known about Jesus as a historical figure. The early Christians had as little scruples as later Stalinists about inventing things they thought would serve their cause. Surmises, more or less plausible, can be made, but only surmises. Karl Kautsky and others surmised that the myth-cocooned biblical Jesus might in reality have been a Jewish nationalist rebel against the Romans. One aspect of the myth-making out of which early Christianity emerged was a savage demonisation...

Arthur Miller (1915–2005).

Fifteen years ago I went to see a production of Arthur Miller’s “The Price” at the Young Vic Theatre in London, where David Thacker was directing a number of Miller’s plays. At a time when Miller seemed to have been sidelined in his own country, his importance as a playwright of international standing was re-asserted on the English stage. In discussion with David Thacker before the play, Miller read part of the opening scene of perhaps his most famous work, “Death of a Salesman”. In Miller’s performance the opening of his modern tragedy became a scene full of comedy and laughter. Listening, it...

Defend free speech

The Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s shameful decision before Christmas to cancel the play Behzti (Dishonour) was justified in the following way by Executive Director Stuart Rogers: “[Sikh] community leaders have been unable to guarantee to us that there will be no repeat of illegal and violent activities… we cannot guarantee the safety of our audiences… [W]e have decided to end the current run of the play on security grounds.” Behzti, which shows rape and murder within a Sikh Temple, had been picketed by some Sikhs. The play is a black comedy set around a young Sikh woman and her sick mother...

In defence of Behzti

The Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s shameful decision to cancel the play, Behzti (Dishonour), was justified in the following way by Executive Director Stuart Rogers: “[Sikh] community leaders have been unable to guarantee to us that there will be no repeat of the illegal and violent activites we saw on Saturday… we cannot guarantee the safety of our audiences… [W]e have decided to end the current run of the play on security grounds.” Behzti, which shows rape and murder within a Sikh Temple, has been picketed by some Sikhs. The play is a black comedy set around a young Sikh woman and her sick...

Majnoun

by Mehrdad Seyf, performed recently at the Riverside Studios The 'majnoun' of the title is mad with love, and refers to an Iranian story something like 'Romeo and Juliet'. The play is about an Iranian woman living in Britain who has to make up her mind who to marry, her English fiancé or an Iranian friend. The play would appeal most to British and Iranian people who are in a British-Iranian relationship: regrettably, of limited appeal then! The principal interest of the play is in references to a period in Iranian history, the regime of Reza Shah, father of the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who was...

His Dark Materials

two plays adapted from books by Philip Pullman, and directed by Nicholas Hytner, showing at the National Theatre, London His Dark Materials is a trilogy of novels. It was considered too complex for adaptation to the stage by some directors. That the National Theatre rose to such a challenge makes you wish them success, especially after they had to face down religious zealots in the teaching profession who denounced the production before it even opened. However, despite some excellent performances, and some truly magical staging and effects, the six-hour epic doesn't quite carry the power of...

Banner Theatre on the miners' strike

The Banner Theatre company is touring with a production to mark the twentieth anniversary of the 1984/5 Miners Strike. Entitled Burning Issues , it opens on Saturday 6 March, 1.30pm at the Potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent, as part of a day-long event with speakers: Tony Benn, Bob Crow (RMT), Andy Gilchrist (FBU), and "The Battle of Orgreave" film. For advance bookings contact the Potteries Museum on 01782 232323 or Brenda Procter of the North Staffs Miners Wives Group on 01782 281240. For more details and other showings, go to the Banner Theatre website .

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