Steven Leigh MorrisKHARMFUL CHARMS OF DANI KHARMS
Olya Petrakova and her ARTEL (American Russian Theatre Ensemble Laboratory) Theatre has devised an ensemble performance, based on the writings of Daniil Kharms. It performs twice only, Fri.-Sat., April 10 and 11, 8 p.m. at Art/Works Theatre, 6569 Santa Monica Blvd, in Hollywood. (323) 871-1912.
“Under the banner of Kook's Kitchen Series, a mad-gang of artists and scientists will cook up a Russian Surrealist Absurdist Comedy at its most iniquitous and irrational, violent and erotic. An evening of not-so-innocent pranks and antics, vignettes and dreamlike incidencies of Daniil Kharms set to rousing musical soundlife by multiple award-winner Jef Bek.”
$17-$30, purchase tickets here
SEVEN JEWISH CHILDREN
Caryl Churchill's play, Seven Jewish Children, was recently published in The Guardian of London after productions there and at the New York Theatre Workshop.
More recently, in the U.S., The Nation printed an analysis of the play by Tony Kushner and Alissa Solomon.
Churchill is giving away rights to produce the play for free, on the condition that the producers make a contribution to medical relief in Gaza.
For a complete text of the play, press the Continue Reading tab directly below.
Seven
Jewish Children – a Play for Gaza
Caryl Churchill
No children
appear in the play. The speakers are adults, the parents and if you like other
relations of the children. The lines can be shared out in any way you like
among those characters. The characters are different in each small scene as
the time and child are different.
1
Tell her it's a
game
Tell her it's serious
But dont frighten her
Dont
tell her they'll kill her
Tell her it's important
to be
quiet
Tell her she'll have cake if she's good
Tell her to curl
up as if she's in bed
But not to sing.
Tell her not to come
out
Tell her not to come out even if she hears shouting
Dont
frighten her
Tell her not to come out even if she hears nothing for a
long time
Tell her we'll come and find her
Tell her we'll be
here all the time.
Tell her something about the men
Tell her
they're bad in the game
Tell her it's a story
Tell her they'll
go away
Tell her she can make them go away if she keeps still
By
magic
But not to sing.
2
Tell her this is a
photograph of her grandmother, her uncles and me
Tell her her uncles
died
Dont tell her they were killed
Tell her they were
killed
Dont frighten her.
Tell her her grandmother was
clever
Dont tell her what they did
Tell her she was
brave
Tell her she taught me how to make cakes
Dont tell her
what they did
Tell her something
Tell her more when she's
older.
Tell her there were people who hated jews
Dont tell
her
Tell her it's over now
Tell her there are still people who
hate jews
Tell her there are peop
le who love jews
Dont tell her
to think jews or not jews
Tell her more when she's older
Tell
her how many when she's older
Tell her it was before she was born and
she's not in danger
Dont tell her there's any question of
danger.
Tell her we love her
Tell her dead or alive her family
all love her
Tell her her grandmother would be proud of
her.
3
Dont tell her we're going forever
Tell her
she can write to her friends, tell her her friends can maybe come and
visit
Tell her it's sunny there
Tell her we're going
home
Tell her it's the land God gave us
Dont tell her
religion
Tell her her great great great great lots of greats grandad
lived there
Dont tell her he was driven out
Tell her, of course
tell her, tell her everyone was driven out and the country is waiting
for
us to come home
Dont tell her she doesnt belong here
Tell her of
course she likes it here but she'll like it there even more.
Tell her
it's an adventure
Tell her no one will tease her
Tell her she'll
have new friends
Tell her she can take her toys
Dont tell her
she can take all her toys
Tell her she's a special girl
Tell her
about Jerusalem.
4
Dont tell her who they are
Tell
her something
Tell her they're bedouin, they travel about
Tell
her about camels in the desert and dates
Tell her they live in
tents
Tell her this wasnt their home
Dont tell her home, not
home, tell her they're going away
Dont tell her they dont like
her
Tell her to be careful.
Dont tell her who used to live in
this house
No but dont tell her her great great grandfather used to
live in this house
No but dont tell her Arabs used to sleep in her
bedroom.
Tell her not to be rude to them
Tell her not to be
frightened
Dont tell her she cant play with the children
Dont
tell her she can have them in the house.
Tell her they have plenty of
friends and family
Tell her for miles and miles all round they have
lands of their own
Tell her again this is our promised
land.
Dont tell her they said it was a land without people
Dont
tell her I wouldnt have come if I'd known.
Tell her maybe we can
share.
Dont tell her that.
5
Tell her we
won
Tell her her brother's a hero
Tell her how big their armies
are
Tell her we turned them back
Tell her we're
fighters
Tell her we've got new land.
6
Dont tell
her
Dont tell her the trouble about the swimming pool
Tell her
it's our water, we have the right
Tell her it's not the water for their
fields
Dont tell her anything about water.
Dont tell her about
the bulldozer
Dont tell her not to look at the bulldozer
Dont
tell her it was knocking the house down
Tell her it's a building
site
Dont tell her anything about bulldozers.
Dont tell her
about the queues at the checkpoint
Tell her we'll be there in no
time
Dont tell her anything she doesnt ask
Dont tell her the boy
was shot
Dont tell her anything.
Tell her we're making new farms
in the desert
Dont tell her about the olive trees
Tell her we're
building new towns in the wilderness.
Dont tell her they throw
stones
Tell her they're not much good against tanks
Dont tell
her that.
Dont tell her they set off bombs in cafes
Tell her,
tell her they set off bombs in cafes
Tell her to be careful
Dont
frighten her.
Tell her we need the wall to keep us safe
Tell her
they want to drive us into the sea
Tell her they dont
Tell her
they want to drive us into the sea.
Tell her we kill far more of
them
Dont tell her that
Tell her that
Tell her we're
stronger
Tell her we're entitled
Tell her they dont understand
anything except violence
Tell her we want peace
Tell her we're
going swimming.
7
Tell her she cant watch the
news
Tell her she can watch cartoons
Tell her she can stay up
late and watch Friends.
Tell her they're attacking with
rockets
Dont frighten her
Tell her only a few of us have been
killed
Tell her the army has come to our defence
Dont tell her
her cousin refused to serve in the army.
Dont tell her how many of them
have been killed
Tell her the Hamas fighters have been
killed
Tell her they're terrorists
Tell her they're
filth
Dont
Dont tell her about the family of dead
girls
Tell her you cant believe what you see on television
Tell
her we killed the babies by mistake
Dont tell her anything about the
army
Tell her, tell her about the army, tell her to be proud of the
army. Tell her about the family of dead girls, tell her their names why not,
tell her the whole world knows why shouldnt she know? tell her there's dead
babies, did she see babies? tell her she's got nothing to be20ashamed of. Tell
her they did it to themselves. Tell her they want their children killed to
make people sorry for them, tell her I'm not sorry for them, tell her not to
be sorry for them, tell her we're the ones to be sorry for, tell her they cant
talk suffering to us. Tell her we're the iron fist now, tell her it's the fog
of war, tell her we wont stop killing them till we're safe, tell her I laughed
when I saw the dead policemen, tell her they're animals living in rubble now,
tell her I wouldnt care if we wiped them out, the world would hate us is the
only thing, tell her I dont care if the world hates us, tell her we're better
haters, tell her we're chosen people, tell her I look at one of their
children
covered in blood and what do I feel? tell her all I feel is happy
it's not her.
Dont tell her that.
Tell her we love
her.
Dont frighten her.
© Caryl Churchill Ltd,
2009
Please feel free to download the play. This play can be read or
performed anywhere by any number of people. Should you wish to apply for
rights, please contact ruth@casarotto.co.uk, who will license
the performances free of charge provided that no admission fee is charged and
that a collection is taken at each performance for Medical Aid for
Palestinians (MAP), 33a=2
0Islington Park Street, London N1 1 QB. Tel: 020-7226
4114. Website: map-uk.org. Email: info@map-uk.org
Hard copies can be
obtained from Nick Hern Books, 14 Larden Road, London W3 7ST. Email: info@nickhernbooks.demon.co.uk
The
text must be performed as written. No changes of any kind can be made to the
title or text of the
play.
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