 | This article is missing information about the plot.(August 2020) |
| The Siege | |
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| Written by | The Freedom Theatre |
The Siege is a Palestinian play developed and devised by The Freedom Theatre. It recounts the story of the 2002 Siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. [1]
In May 2015, The Freedom Theatre embarked on its first tour of the UK. The Siege was the largest touring production performed in Britain by a Palestinian theatre company.
The UK tour was organized by The Freedom Theatre UK Friends, a network of over 300 people in Britain who are engaged in the theatre’s activities. The Siege and its UK tour are supported by the EU, the British Council, Steps Beyond – European Cultural Foundation, Arts Council England and The Roddick Foundation. Other supporters include the playwright, Howard Brenton and film-maker, Ken Loach.
Funding by Arts Council England angered local Jewish community. [2] Actress Maureen Lipman joined pro-Israel groups including Zionist Federation in a protest outside the London premiere of The Siege at Battersea Arts Centre. [3]
Maureen Diane Lipman, is an English film, theatre, radio and television actress, columnist and comedian.
Amira Hass is an Israeli journalist and author, mostly known for her columns in the daily newspaper Haaretz covering Palestinian affairs in the West Bank and Gaza, where she has lived for almost thirty years.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom. Established in 1760 by a group of Sephardic Jews, the board presents itself as a forum for the views of most organisations within the British Jewish community, liaising with the British government on that basis. Notably, while Lord Rothschild was President of the Board of Deputies, the Balfour Declaration was addressed to him and eventually led to the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. It is affiliated to the World Jewish Congress and the European Jewish Congress. Its current president is Marie van der Zyl who, due to holding this position, also sits on the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress.
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