A fully staged premiere of Seven Other Children, author and actor Richard Stirling's ten-minute theatrical response to Caryl Churchill's Seven Jewish Children , seen in February at the Royal Court Theatre. Using Churchill's format, the content of which sparked such controversy, Stirling's play provides necessary context to the debate. The incomplete narrative of Churchill's declared "political event" was taken by Stirling, a non-Jew, to demand a response, particularly in the light of Royal Court artistic director Dominic Cook's statement that no balance is required: "Are A Doll's House or King Lear fair?" The tragedy of the situation in Gaza is anything but one-sided or sectarian. Seven Other Children is written not in its own right, but to show a dimension overlooked by recent plays on the subject: the tragedy of the Palestinian child as victim of a distorted education about Israel, and the crescendo of hate that continues to grow. The cast of nine, matching the Royal Court number, comprises an international ensemble. Running time 10 minutes.| 5 May 09 to 16 May 09 | New End Theatre Inner London, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive |
