Stage: Far Away & Seven Jewish Children

A Caryl Churchill double bill comes to the little theatre in the centre of town – The New Venture Theatre

Far Away, directed by Tamsin Fraser, is set in a nightmare world where people are at war with their neighbours and last month’s allies become today’s sworn enemies. As the war escalates and animals, insects and elements are pitted against each other, we must question how much is real. Harper, Joan and Todd inhabit this dystopian nightmare country where we must question how much is truth and how much are tales told to protect ourselves and others from the real atrocities going on. As with all wars involving rival clans and rival groups, alliances coalesce and fracture – last month’s allies become today’s sworn enemies, sometimes happening so quickly that you can’t keep up with who you should be hating…

Caryl Churchill wrote Seven Jewish Children (here directed by Strat Mastoris) as a response to the Israeli assault on Gaza in January 2009. It’s an intensely emotional piece, attempting to examine the psychology of the Israeli people – refugees from the Holocaust in Europe now building and defending a new state in Palestine.

Seven short speeches, each from a relative to the parent of a young girl, sketch out modern Jewish history. The first speech takes place somewhere in Europe, in hiding from the Nazis, and subsequent scenes occur during the emigration to Palestine, the foundation of the State of Israel, the subsequent wars with their Arab neighbours, and the occupation of territory won in 1948 and 1967.

We see Seven Jewish Children as a perfect counterpart to Far Away as both plays address the theme of how people attempt to protect themselves from unbearable truths, and demonise others perceived as ‘the enemy’.
The themes addressed in these plays are very controversial, and Seven Jewish Children sparked a vigorous debate when it was first performed. With this in mind, their intention is to host a post-show discussion about the plays’ issues, after both Saturday performances.

Strat Mastoris is a great admirer of Caryl Churchill’s work – he directed A Number, her play about cloning, at the NVT in 2007. He has also directed a double-bill of The Maids and Deathwatch, by Jean Genet, in 2009, and a production of Love Letters, by A.R. Gurney.

Far Away & Seven Jewish Children, New Venture Theatre, Saturday 19–Saturday 26 January, £7–10, www.newventure.org.uk