“Moving. Powerful. Important.” |
| I CUTTING THE TIGHTROPE: THE DIVORCE OF POLITICS & ART I By Hassan Abdulrazzak, Mojisola Adebayo, Phil Arditti, Sonali Bhattacharyya, Nina Bowers, Roxy Cook, Ed Edwards, Afsaneh Gray, Dawn King, Ahmed Masoud and Sami Abu Wardeh, Joel Samuels, Waleed Elgadi. Arcola Theatre, Studio 1 Tuesday 26th November – Saturday December 7th, 2024. BUY TICKETS OR DONATE HERE |
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CUTTING THE TIGHTROPE: The Divorce of Politics from Art is a new collection of urgent political short plays prompted by theatre's and society's silence about Gaza. Written by a diverse group of award-winning playwrights, we sold-out a pilot rapid response run at the Arcola in Studio 2 earlier this year in May, and are not returning in November this year to the Main House. "The courage of the pieces are infectious. We left the theatre fired up for the fight.“ Dame Harriet Walter (DBE, Actor) "Brilliantly engaging and urgent. Surprisingly funny, poignant and challenging." Mark Thomas (Political Comedian) "A reminder that theatre can so often humanise those events unfolding before us in the world that journalism and reportage can’t convey.” Juliet Stevenson (CBE, Actor) "Humour, pain, and the unspeakable truth...Like Greek comedies, this is a theatre of truth and we should be thankful for its existence." Haim Bresheeth (Israeli filmmaker) Press coverage for our initial 1 week run “Cutting The Tightrope is one of the most powerful things I have ever watched.” ★★★★★ Green Room Reviews “A show that challenges Britain’s creeping censorship… an opinionated, entertaining and urgent evening that doesn’t just grapple with lofty questions about art and politics. But that asks (of itself, and of us) what art can do, right now.” Feature for The Guardian, Brian Logan I Artists shouldnt be political? Hereis a show that challenges Britain's creeping censorship | Stage | The Guardian I “An extraordinary theatrical and humanitarian endeavour [CTT] is simply stunning at the Arcola Theatre. Sometimes, trying to translate the urgency and energy of an exceptional piece of theatre can feel nigh on impossible. Such is the vitalness and vitality of [CTT] though, that one has to try to match it. Put together as a series of rapid political responses to…well, pretty much the whole state of the world today, it is as punchy and pointed as theatre can get, an admirable provocation about we can and should be doing to stand up and be counted.” There Ought to Be Clowns. I Review: Cutting the Tightrope The Divorce of Politics from Art, Arcola Theatre There Ought To Be Clowns I “Each performance was powerful and rousing while also managing to balance big laughs and use highly relatable observations to make potent statements on censorship, hypocrisy and abuse of power… Art can change the world.” ★★★★★ Fairy Powdered Reviews I CUTTING THE TIGHTROPE REVIEW * Fairy Powered Productions I AUDIENCE FEEDBACK FROM CTT: We purposely reached out to audience members for feedback. Here is a few snippets from over 100 replies. Cutting the Tightrope is one of the most original and brave artistic rebellion against the erosion of democracy and free speech and increasing censorship of our times. It is a theatrical manifestation of true and honest stand against the dark times we are facing today…The production is truly sensational and uplifting and offers a glimmer of hope when hope is the scarcity. Yamam, Nabeel, Co-founder, Art Forward Through a diverse and bold set of short plays, Cutting the Tightrope dares to explore what others shy away from - the unsaid, the unrepresented and the unimagined. It does so with a rich mix of dramatic devices, engaging and often unsettling the audience. The outstanding cast bring to life characters that show the best of us and the worst of us, and the inescapable politics of our everyday lives. A truly memorable production. Professor Michael Mason, LSE Middle East Centre What I did not anticipate was the degree of personal catharsis I felt as an audience member. The existence of this production shed a powerful light on just how sorely lacking work like this has been in our theatres. Being of Middle Eastern descent raised in a devoutly Islamic household, the heightened sense of animosity in the media and society at large directed at my demographic has been hard to ignore…Cutting The Tightrope helped to give me awareness of this sense of betrayal while simultaneously providing a balm in knowing that many feel the same way, genuinely courageous theatre still exists and that there is a wider audience hungry for these stories. Fayez Bakhsh, Yemeni actor Just a quick note to say how amazing Cutting the Tightrope: The Divorce of Politics from Art was the night I came to see it and I know all of my colleagues who joined me felt the same way. First off, we spoke about it for days and what was really important was that it somehow lifted a fog from our minds and allowed us all to open up and talk to one another about the all major issues around us and use the language we want to use without fear of censure and self-censure…I was a bit breathless and speechless at the end - Cutting the Tightrope: The Divorce of Politics from Art did that to me and shook me from my slumber. Neil Quilliam, Chatham House International Affairs Think Tank |
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