Israeli ‘Tunnel’ play will go on despite group’s call for boycott
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Adalah-NY: Campaign for the Boycott of Israel has taken aim at the Gesher Theatre and its dark comedy “In the Tunnel,” part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Festival of Firsts. The play will go on as scheduled at the Benedum Center, Downtown, Oct. 11-13.
Gesher, meaning “bridge,” has written in its acknowledgements that performances in Toronto, New York and Pittsburgh were “made possible” by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This sparked AdalahNY to brand the theater as “government sponsored” and call for the Trust and other arts groups to boycott the play as a show of support for Palestinian rights.
The Adalah-NY press release did not address the content of the play that finds two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians trapped in an underground tunnel where they must decide between killing each other or saving themselves. Above them, a TV morning show is running live, spotlighting the media’s role in times of conflict while wondering if there is “a light at the end of the tunnel.”
“We at the Trust believe that this production fairly shines a spotlight on the tensions inherent in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and portrays them at a very human level in a way that only the arts can,” according to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust statement. “Now more than ever, it is important to hear and understand not only narratives with which we feel comfortable, but also perspectives and opinions that challenge entrenched points of view. In the production itself, the audience has a say in how the story will end. Similarly, we hope to engage in productive post-show discussions with a broad range of Middle Eastern voices that will further explore this complex and multifaceted topic.”
The New York Times wrote about Adalah-NY in July of last year, when the group tried to initiate a boycott of “To the End of the Land” at Lincoln Center. The play was produced by the Cameri Theater of Tel Aviv and Ha’Bima National Theater of Israel. The Times noted that more than 60 artists, including four Pulitzer Prize winners and other prominent writers, actors, directors and playwrights, had signed an open letter calling on Lincoln Center to cancel performances. The play went on as scheduled.