Shame 2.0: Why does the Israeli state want to censor art?
Actors Einat Weizman, Morad Hassan, and Colleen Delany join The Stream to discuss the challenges of political theatre.
Ridicule, threats of bodily harm, and scorn – this is what Israeli actress and playwright Einat Weizman endured for participating in art and activism focused on Israel-Palestine politics.
In the docu-play “Shame 2.0”, Weizman and Palestinian actor Morad Hassan explore the difficulties of producing politically-driven theatre, and the challenges they have faced because of their beliefs and backgrounds.
Einat and Morad share their narratives in individual monologues, recounting the hurdles they had to overcome to progress their respective careers in a contentious political climate. In each performance, Weizman and Morad are periodically interrupted by news footage of Israeli culture minister Miri Regev, whose efforts to pull government funding from organisations or events deemed disloyal to the state has been criticised as a form of censorship.
In this episode, Morad Hassan, Einat Weizman, and Shame 2.0 actress Colleen Delany discuss how they are using the production to highlight obstacles artists and activists must overcome to break down barriers in Israel and the occupied territories.
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Morad Hassan
Actor & co-writer, Shame 2.0
mosaictheater.org
Colleen Delany
Actress
mosaictheater.org
Einat Weitzman
Writer, Shame 2.0
mosaictheater.org
Read more:
Does the Israeli Playwright Who Celebrates Palestinian Prisoners Support Terrorism? – Haaretz
NY consul leaves gala over speech claiming Israeli arts freedom under threat – Times of Israel
What do you think? Record a brief comment here, or leave your thoughts in the section below.