Political theatre is nothing new (think of Stuff Happens, My Name Is Rachel Corrie, Gethsemane, Playing With Fire) but it usually takes so long to get political commentary to the stage that some of the impact inevitably gets lost.
Playwright Caryl Churchill has turned that convention on its head with her new work, Seven Jewish Children - A Play for Gaza. She wrote it in a week, responding to the current situation in the Middle East, and the Royal Court agreed to stage it: curtain goes up on 6 February.
Alright, so it's only 10 minutes long; but the subject matter is so fraught with division and tension that to produce anything without the writer's head exploding is an achievement in itself. The play is billed as a history of Israel, ending with the bombing of Gaza. Royal Court artistic director Dominic Cooke himself is taking on directorial duties.
Seven Jewish Children will be performed on the main stage after Marius von Mayenburg's The Stone. Tickets are free but there will be a collection after each performance for Medical Aid For Palestinians (MAP): Emergency Appeal for the People of Gaza. The Royal Court strongly recommends reserving in advance (find out how) but for those of you who prefer to go where the wind takes you, some tickets will be available on the day.
Seven Jewish Children - A Play for Gaza, 6-21 February (no performance 9 February), at The Royal Court Theatre, SW1.
