Edinburgh’s response to a Fringe play by an Israeli theatre company reveals that the city’s image as a Mecca for Western culture is a phoney one, argues Prof. Tom Gallagher.
Whatever claims Edinburgh possessed for being a hub of artistic freedom of expression have been tarnished by the silencing of a play called ‘The City’ staged by the Incubator Theatre of Jerusalem.
A murder mystery sung in rhyme, it ought to be far-removed from political controversy. But because the actors are from Israel and they refused to publicly distance themselves from their government, they were shouted down as they performed their play in mime in an open-air venue on 9 August.
This occurred in full view of the police and festival organizers. So did the protests on 30 July designed to prevent members of the audience getting to the indoor venue of the play. Within hours, the Edinburgh fringe axed the play.
The values of the Scottish Enlightenment which so impressed 18th century continental thinkers currently rest on a flimsy foundation in Edinburgh… Read more in The Commentator
Whatever claims Edinburgh possessed for being a hub of artistic freedom of expression have been tarnished by the silencing of a play called ‘The City’ staged by the Incubator Theatre of Jerusalem.
A murder mystery sung in rhyme, it ought to be far-removed from political controversy. But because the actors are from Israel and they refused to publicly distance themselves from their government, they were shouted down as they performed their play in mime in an open-air venue on 9 August.
This occurred in full view of the police and festival organizers. So did the protests on 30 July designed to prevent members of the audience getting to the indoor venue of the play. Within hours, the Edinburgh fringe axed the play.
The values of the Scottish Enlightenment which so impressed 18th century continental thinkers currently rest on a flimsy foundation in Edinburgh… Read more in The Commentator