Hare attacks The Wall

The Royal Court Theatre presents: WALL A reading, written and performed by David Hare Directed by Stephen Daldry 12-14 March, 9.30pm Jerwood Theatre Downstairs Wall, a new reading written and performed by David Hare, and directed by Stephen Daldry, will run for three nights at the Royal Court Theatre, 12-14 March. The play, which follows on from Berlin, currently being performed at the National Theatre, is based on Hare’s response to the Israel/Palestine separation barrier. “There it is. Not just a wall. A wall would be a fact. But this wall is a philosophy, what one observer has called ‘a political code for shutting up shop.’” Since he first visited Israel and the Palestinian territories to write Via Dolorosa, which the Royal Court presented over 200 times in the West End and on Broadway, David Hare has regularly been back to the region. Now he offers a searching 40-minute study of the Israel/Palestine separation barrier which will one day stretch 486 miles and be over four times as long as the Berlin Wall – and in places, twice as high. David Hare’s Berlin, now playing at the National Theatre, looks at a place where, twenty years ago, a wall came down. Wall is about a place where, right now, a wall is going up. “I felt after writing Berlin that the natural answer to it was Wall.” – David Hare “In 1997 David wrote his acclaimed Via Dolorosa, the result of a journey to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Having regularly returned to the region he has responded with this remarkable investigation into the history and philosophy behind the construction of the separation barrier between these territories. It appears as if our major writers are very moved by the current situation in the Middle East and it's exciting to be able to open up the debate further on the subject with David's powerful and informative piece, which he will perform for three nights in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. It's also serendipitous that we are able to programme Wall alongside Mark Ravenhill’s new play about the fall of the Berlin Wall, Over There. Both plays address physical embodiments of political divides, and both raise important issues about the way human beings relate to each other in times of conflict, and in peacetime. We are delighted to welcome David Hare and Stephen Daldry (who will direct) back to the Royal Court with such a thought-provoking play.“ - Dominic Cooke, Artistic Director, Royal Court The two pieces will be published together by Faber as BERLIN/WALL on 12 March. Stephen Daldry and David Hare have previously collaborated on the theatre productions Berlin (NT) and Via Dolorosa (Royal Court, Duchess Theatre & Broadway), and the films The Reader and The Hours. David Hare was Literary Manager and Resident Dramatist at the Royal Court between 1969 and 1971. His previous plays for the Royal Court include The Vertical Hour, My Zinc Bed, Via Dolorosa, Teeth ‘n’ Smiles, and Slag. His other works include Gethsemane, Plenty, Pravda (written with Howard Brenton), Racing Demon, Murmuring Judges, The Absence of War, Skylight, Amy's View, The Permanent Way and Stuff Happens (all National Theatre). He also wrote the screenplays for The Reader and The Hours. Stephen Daldry was Artistic Director of the Royal Court from 1992 to 1998. At the Royal Court, he has directed A Number, Far Away, Rat in the Skull, Body Talk, The Kitchen, The Editing Process and Search and Destroy. He also directed Billy Elliot: The Musical (West End/Broadway), An Inspector Calls (NT/West End/Broadway) and Machinal (NT). He is also an award-winning film director, whose credits include The Reader (2008), The Hours (2002) and Billy Elliot (2000). -ENDS- LISTINGS INFORMATION WALL A reading, written and performed by David Hare Directed by Stephen Daldry 12-14 March 2009, 9.30pm Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Tickets £10 Advance booking recommended Book by phone 020 7565 5000 or email boxoffice@royalcourttheatre.com Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS Nearest tube: Sloane Square Nearest rail: Victoria

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