Artists want Israeli show in Edinburgh canceled
Fifty leading arts figures, including Scotland's national poet Liz Lochhead, issue petition against Incubator Theater's performance at Edinburgh Festival Fringe due to Israeli operation in Gaza.
The production, "The City," is a film noir-style hip-hop opera. It was invited to perform at the Underbelly venue in the Scottish capital from July 30 till August 25.
"We the undersigned ... write to you to protest against your programming of a show entitled 'The City,' by the Israeli company Incubator Theater, during the forthcoming Edinburgh Festival Fringe," reads the letter, which was organized by theater critic and writer Mark Brown.
"The current, brutal assault by Israel upon the people of Gaza, which is an appalling collective punishment, underlines the seriousness of your error in cooperating with a company which is funded by the Ministry of Culture of the State of Israel."
Incubator Theater's 'The City'
According to The Herald Scotland, the letter adds: "We strongly believe that there can be no 'normality' in international relations with Israel while it continues to oppress the Palestinian people.
"The State of Israel uses the international ventures of its artists to attempt to lend itself a sense of cultural legitimacy and to distract attention from the brutality of its illegal occupation.
"Some brave and principled Israeli artists oppose the Israeli State's cynical attempts to use them for propaganda purposes. In taking Israeli State funding, Incubator Theatre is not among them."
Despite the heavy pressure, the Underbelly venue has no intention of giving in and has rushed to defend the Israeli company in an unusual manner.
"We believe that all artists, from whatever creed or nation, must have the freedom of expression," said a spokesman for the venue, adding that "incubator Theatre does receive funding from the State of Israel but to somehow deduce from that, without any evidence, that they are an agent or a cultural legitimizer for the State of Israel's policies is a non sequitur, in the same way as to suggest that any of the much-respected artists who signed Mark's letter are cultural legitimizers for the UK or Scottish governments."
Incubator Theater's founder and director, Arik Eshet, said in response: "We have nothing to be ashamed of. We are Israelis, and whether we like it or not, it puts us in the position of ambassadors. But treating Israeli artists as government agents is ridiculous.
"Israel is a censorship-free democratic state, and one cannot say that the Israeli theater and art represent the government. This is nonsense which at best stems from ignorance. I have invited the letter's initiator to engage in a dialogue, but they are not interested because they are convinced they hold the absolute truth.
"This letter was signed by artists and intellectuals who claim to sanctify human rights, but what does that mean when, in practice, they won't give us the opportunity to fulfill the right to freedom of expression? It's outrageous and infuriating. Artistic work should be a place for exchanging opinions, but is seems that they don't believe in that.
"We are proud of who we are and what we do. It's their right to boycott us, but they are missing a wonderful show."
