Actress Emma Thompson's decision to join a group of 35 artistes protesting the inclusion of an Israeli theater in a Shakespeare festival this summer in London has sparked controversy.
The two time Oscar winner Thompson joined a list of 35 people from arts – playwrights, actors, film makers – who wrote a letter published in The Guardian on March 29 to regret that Israeli theater Habima would perform "The Merchant of Venice" at the Globe to Globe festival in London in May.
Habima, they argue, has "a shameful record of involvement with illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory. Last year, two large Israeli settlements established 'halls of culture' and asked Israeli theatre groups to perform there.
A number of Israeli theatre professionals – actors, stage directors, playwrights – declared they would not take part." The letter goes on to state: "Habima, however, accepted the invitation with alacrity, and promised the Israeli minister of culture that it would 'deal with any problems hindering such performances'.
By inviting Habima, Shakespeare's Globe is undermining the conscientious Israeli actors and playwrights who have refused to break international law." The festival will see 37 theater companies from around the world perform various Shakespeare's plays in their respective languages. The Palestinian theater company Ashter will, for example, perform "Richard II" in Arabic.
The world's youngest nation, South Sudan, will perform "Cymbeline" in Juba Arabic. Signatories of the letter say their protest is not about the inclusion of the Hebrew language in the festival.
READ MORE: http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/culture/1306-actress-emma-thompson-under-attack-for-calling-for-israeli-theater-ban
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