Seven Other Children
Encyclopedia
Seven Other Children is a 2009 play by Richard Stirling.
The play premiered at the New End Theatre
, Hampstead, London in May, 2009.
's controversial play Seven Jewish Children
at the Royal Court Theatre
. He told the Journal of Turkish Weekly
that he wrote the play "to provide necessary context to a vital debate" after Churchill's play caused "such disquiet and anger". Elsewhere, he explained that Seven Other Children shows "the tragedy of the Palestinian child as a victim of a distorted education about Israel". On 14 May, the play was given four out of five stars by the Hampstead & Highgate Express.
Proceeds from stagings of Seven Other Children are donated to the OneVoice Movement
.
carried an article with details of correspondence to Stirling from the Royal Court Theatre, where Seven Jewish Children was originally staged. In the article, Stirling disagreed with the indication from Royal Court artistic director Dominic Cooke
that the Churchill play needed no balance; the article stated that the Royal Court threatened legal action if Cooke's 'excuses' were read out onstage before the production of Seven Other Children at the New End Theatre. Further details of the correspondence appeared elsewhere.
Like the Churchill play, Stirling's work is performed by nine actors and each scene is set within a period of recent history. In this play, however, the actors and the children they discuss are Palestinian.
The original production was directed by Simone Vause. The cast was Simona Armstrong
, Martin Brody, Rob Cavazos, Philip Chamberlin, Amerjit Deu, Joy McBrinn, Claire Malka, Jodie Osterland and Phineas Pett.
withdrew public funding form a theater festival that had scheduled Seven Jewish Children after the producers refused to balance the political message of the Churchill play with Seven Other Children. Stirling called the producer's decision "at best incautious and at worst severely one-sided."
The play premiered at the New End Theatre
New End Theatre
The New End Theatre, Hampstead, was a 80-seat fringe theatre venue in London, England, located in the London Borough of Camden which operated from 1974 until 2011. It was listed widely on the internet, including with the New York Times....
, Hampstead, London in May, 2009.
Mission
Stirling penned the play as a response to Caryl ChurchillCaryl Churchill
Caryl Churchill is an English dramatist known for her use of non-naturalistic techniques and feminist themes, the abuses of power, and sexual politics. She is acknowledged as a major playwright in the English language and a leading female writer...
's controversial play Seven Jewish Children
Seven Jewish Children
Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza is a controversial six-page, 10-minute play by British playwright Caryl Churchill, written in response to the 2008-2009 Israel military strike on Gaza, and first performed at London's Royal Court Theatre on 6 February 2009...
at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
. He told the Journal of Turkish Weekly
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Journal of Turkish Weekly is a Web site run by the International Strategic Research Organization, targeted towards policymakers. The journal provides Turkish approach on global and regional issues. Established in 2004. It is owned by the USAK Derneği, which publishes other printed and online...
that he wrote the play "to provide necessary context to a vital debate" after Churchill's play caused "such disquiet and anger". Elsewhere, he explained that Seven Other Children shows "the tragedy of the Palestinian child as a victim of a distorted education about Israel". On 14 May, the play was given four out of five stars by the Hampstead & Highgate Express.
Proceeds from stagings of Seven Other Children are donated to the OneVoice Movement
OneVoice Movement
OneVoice is a non profit organization and citizen activism movement working in Israel and the Palestinian territories to achieve a two-state solution through non-violent means...
.
Premiere
On 11 May, London's Evening StandardEvening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
carried an article with details of correspondence to Stirling from the Royal Court Theatre, where Seven Jewish Children was originally staged. In the article, Stirling disagreed with the indication from Royal Court artistic director Dominic Cooke
Dominic Cooke
Dominic Cooke is an English theatre director and playwright. He won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for best director for his revival of The Crucible while working at the RSC...
that the Churchill play needed no balance; the article stated that the Royal Court threatened legal action if Cooke's 'excuses' were read out onstage before the production of Seven Other Children at the New End Theatre. Further details of the correspondence appeared elsewhere.
Like the Churchill play, Stirling's work is performed by nine actors and each scene is set within a period of recent history. In this play, however, the actors and the children they discuss are Palestinian.
The original production was directed by Simone Vause. The cast was Simona Armstrong
Simona Armstrong
Simona Armstrong is a Romanian born actress and singer who lives and works mainly in the UK.Between 2004 and 2007, she made a few television acting appearances in the UK, notably in Doctors, Sinchronicity and A Touch Of Frost. On stage Armstrong has appeared in Fame and Little Shop Of Horrors...
, Martin Brody, Rob Cavazos, Philip Chamberlin, Amerjit Deu, Joy McBrinn, Claire Malka, Jodie Osterland and Phineas Pett.
Other stagings
In May, 2007, the city of LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
withdrew public funding form a theater festival that had scheduled Seven Jewish Children after the producers refused to balance the political message of the Churchill play with Seven Other Children. Stirling called the producer's decision "at best incautious and at worst severely one-sided."