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Photo: Meir Partush
Teomi. The focus of the ruckus
Photo: Meir Partush

Rightists disrupt theater performance

Following actors' letter of refusal to perform in West Bank town, right-wing activists, MK Ben Ari disrupt play written and directed by signatories of letter

Three right-wing activists including MK Michael Ben Ari (National Union) disrupted a performance at the Cameri Theater to protest the "actors' letter" and were ejected from the hall by security staff.

 

The activists were present during a performance of "Oh God," written by Anat Gov and directed by Edna Mazya, both of whom signed the letter of actors and artists from the theater industry declaring their refusal to perform in the new culture auditorium in Ariel, which is located outside the Green Line. Itamar Ben Gvir, Ben Ari and another ticket-holder disrupted the performance by calling "You're racists" at actors Oded Teomi and Sara von Schwarze.

 

Teomi, one of the Cameri's veteran actors, tried to tell the hecklers that he was not a signatory to the letter, but to no avail. The shouting increased, and other voices in the audience could be heard calling for order. After some minutes, Teomi said defiantly, "Because of your behavior, maybe we should consider whether there is anything to perform to in Ariel."

 

The theater's security staff, who were warned in advance when ushers noticed potential provocation, took the three outside to applause from the rest of the audience. The performance then continued.

 
 

Ben Gvir and Ben Ari (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

 

The incident took place just a few days after the stormy debate in the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee, in which Culture Minister Limor Livnat, in response to the actors' letter, announced her intention to insert an amendment to grant criteria which would oblige grant receivers to perform in Ariel.

 

The Cameri management responded: "The Cameri Theater protests against the violence of an MK who takes advantage of his parliamentary immunity and hurts the audience and actors. We intend to contact the Knesset speaker and request that he intervene. The Cameri will continue to perform every evening in every place in which there are Israeli theater lovers."

 

Sources at the theater added unofficially, "Because they had purchased tickets we couldn’t prevent them from entering. But the security staff and the actors were notified. In the end, the audience spoke its mind clearly, and the disrupters were ejected without problems and without opposition."

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.07.10, 00:42
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