Al-Madina Theatre Reopens Today 18-6-2010

Samir Kassir Foundation, Aref Saghieh Bldg.( Ground Floor), 63, Zahrani St., Sioufi, Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon Tel /Fax: 00961 1 397334, Mobile: 00961 3 372717, E-Mail Address: [email protected] Beirut 18/6/2010 Press release Censorship Strikes Again; Al-Madina Theatre reopens today Yesterday evening, the 17 th of June, 2010, 15 members of the security forces raided Al-Madina Theatre in Hamra-Beirut in their military uniforms and machine guns, and prevented a Belgian troupe from performing their play „Oublie la voiture!” [Forget The Car!] The play is based on three scripts written by the Lebanese novelist Rashid al-Daif. Following intensive calls between the theatre officials and the authorities concerned, the play will be allowed to be shown today. The script was sent to the General Security ten days earlier, and the play was approved under the title „Meryl Streep‟. However, the theatre‟s director Nidal Ashkar felt that there is a need to change the name of the play, as another play entitled “Let Meryl Streep Do Whatever She Wants‟ had already been performed there. In order that the audience does not become confused and believe that it is the same play, the new play had to be thus renamed. After prolonged stalling in obtaining the official approval, the theatre‟s officials were told to „do whatever they want‟…but when the performance started, a security force came to the theatre and demanded that it be stopped, or the theatre would be forced shut. In a conversation with SKeyes, Ashkar said: “despite the fact that they – at the General Security – were cooperative with us before, they dragged their feet in giving us the approval for the play this time. They did not notify us of their decision to ban it until we sent someone over there to follow up the matter, perhaps because they were concerned that the press might sense something”. She also noted that “the security forces came to the theatre on the next day of the performance, and asked for it to be stopped from being shown. The forces confirmed that troops will be sent at five o‟clock in the afternoon of the next day to ascertain that the play was not shown; otherwise, the theatre would be forced shut”. She added in a reproaching manner: “how can they threaten to close the theatre? Who reads the scripts and decides that he is the good citizen that has the right to tell us what we can show?” She then rejected censorship over theatrical plays and said: “Are the three objectionable phrases what is

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Al-Madina Theatre Reopens Today 18-6-2010