English PEN Events April 2010

Two Banned Plays – Events in London and Coventry­­________________________

We want to let all PEN members know about two public events on the issue of banned theatre, regarding two very different plays.

Behzti Five Years On

In our newsletter earlier this month we congratulated Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti on the opening of her new play, Behud. The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry will be holding two free discussions to accompany the final day of the premiere run, before the production transfers to London . We’d like to encourage PEN members living in the midlands to attend and help make the case for free speech in the theatre. In 2004 there were concerns that the fallout from the ‘Behzti affair’ would have a chilling effect on British theatre and that it would become increasingly difficult to stage controversial work. ‘Behzti Five Years On’ focuses on theatre in the Midlands , asking to what extent this has come true. Theatre has a distinct role in reflecting contemporary society, and in influencing, shaping, and interrogating our shared culture. Has theatre become too constrained by the fear of giving offence? What obligations do artists have towards the communities they depict? And what impact has the 'war on terror' and the government's security agenda had upon notions of free speech? Chaired by Kenan Malik (writer, broadcaster), author of From Fatwa to Jihad. Panellists: Giles Croft (Nottingham Playhouse); Hamish Glen (Belgrade Theatre), Sunny Hundal (Asians in the Media, liberalconspiracy.org), Trina Jones (Birmingham Rep), Hardish Virk (Multi Nation Arts).

Programme:

11am ‘Behzti Five Years on’ – panel discussion

2.45pm Behud by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, matinée performance

5pm Aftershow discussion chaired by Jo Glanville (Index on Censorship) with Lisa Goldman (Director), Hamish Glen and members of the cast.

The discussion events are free and the matinee performance is priced as on theatre website. For those who wish to attend the whole day we are offering a ticket priced £20, £10 concession to cover a light lunch, refreshments and the matinee performance. Call 024 7655 3055 to book tickets.

Moonfleece

We were dismayed to hear that another play has been cancelled in the midlands. The critically acclaimed Moonfleece, by the award winning playwright Phillip Ridley was cancelled by the Dormston Centre, Dudley, after fears of a backlash by far-right groups. The Dormston Centre feared the play was discriminatory and cancelled the performance. English PEN deplores this suppression of another theatrical performance, in an area which suffers from far-right extremism. We will be discussing the implications of these events after the Greenwich performance of Moonfleece. More details are available on the Greenwich Theatre website. We are planning a short campaign to remount the production in Dudley and Wolverhampton . Any PEN members who wish to co-sign a letter of protest should e-mail robert@englishpen.org giving your name, location and area of work. We are particularly keen to hear from theatre practitioners, playwrights, and members living in the Midlands .

50 Years of Writers in Prison ­_______________________

Friday 16 April, 1pm

Wolfson Theatre, London School of Economics, Lincoln ’s Inn Fields, London , WC2A 2AE

Tickets: £8

Come and celebrate 50 years of International PEN’s Writers in Prison Committee defending freedom of expression around the world at a Free the Word! festival event on Friday 16 April 1pm. Outspoken Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi and Georgian writer, performance artist and activist, Irakli Kakabadze will be talking about their work and challenging political systems with Michela Wrong, whose book, It’s Our Turn to Eat, tells the story of John Githongo, the Kenyan anti-corruption chief who turned whistleblower after uncovering a massive top-level scam.

The first 20 English PEN members to contact International PEN will receive a free ticket to this event. To reserve your place please email tickets@internationalpen.org.uk with ’50 English PEN’ in the subject line.

Free the Word! meets Beirut 39 ___________________________________

In association with the Hay Festival, English PEN and Bloomsbury Publishing

Wednesday 15 April, 1pm

Venue: Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road , London , EC1R 3GA

Tickets: This is a free event.

To celebrate the Hay Beirut 39 literature festival which coincides with Free the Word!, we welcome two writers to share their work with London audiences. Adania Shibli was twice awarded the Young Writer's Award of Palestine. Ala Hlehel has written short stories, television scripts and plays and took part in the international playwrights' residency at the Royal Court Theatre in 2003. Come and enjoy this free event and discover two new voices from the Middle East . The book Beirut 39: New Writing from the Arab World has been selected to receive financial assistance from English PEN's Writers in Translation programme supported by Bloomberg.

The Ambassador’s Reception________________________________________________________________________

Radio 4

Saturday 10 April, 10.30am

"Being thrown out of the US embassy in Ankara with Arthur Miller - a voluntary exile - was one of the proudest moments of my life."

In 1985, Harold Pinter and Arthur Miller went on an historic PEN mission to Turkey to draw attention to the ruthless limits being set on freedom of expression in Turkey at that time, and the many writers languishing in prison. For BBC Radio 4, writer and journalist Maureen Freely retraces their footsteps and takes us on a journey across Istanbul into the homes and meeting places of the Turkish literati who in the 1980s were oppressed, imprisoned and tortured for their opinions. Until then the world had turned a blind eye to their plight. Did Pinter and Miller's trip draw attention to a regime that was cruelly persecuting its people or were hopes raised only to be quashed again with the realisation that military strategy was more important to the world than human rights? Evoking images of country full of promise yet stunted by doubt and distrust Maureen hears from painters, writers, and publishers - those who remember the trip vividly, those who were locked up for speaking their mind, and the new generation of authors. She finds out whether Turkey is a better, safer and freer place to be a writer today than it was in the spring of 1985 or whether having an opinion that deviates from the official line remains a dangerous path to tread. For more information, please click here.