The New Dark Age

16 October, 2010

Please find below details of a very special event this Sunday. There is a field is a play about the life and death of 17-year old Aseel Asleh. Aseel was wearing his Seeds of Peace t-shirt at the time Israeli forces shot him at point blank 10 years ago and he was buried in it.

“THERE IS A FIELD” play will be a small and intimate event this Sunday [see further details below]. It is aiming to attract theatre directors and producers to come, so that they can consider staging a proper production on a London stage. It has been a low-key advertising to make sure there is enough room for “industry people.”

Aseel’s mother, Jamelih Asleh, is coming from the Galilee especially for this event, as well as the playwright, Jen Marlowe, and will participate in the discussion following the reading.

Regards, Yael Kahn 07880 731 865

Houda Echouafni, producer, 
There is a Field Khalid Laith, director, 
There is a Field Jen Marlowe, playwright, There is a Field

THERE IS A FIELD a play by Jen Marlowe London reading directed by Khalid Laith

Sunday, October 17, 6:30 pm The Tricycle Theatre

(269 Kilburn High Road, London, NW6 7JR) Nearest tube: Kilburn (Jubilee Line) 20 mins from Bond Street

Space is limited!

To reserve a space, please email donkeysaddle@gmail.com with your name, phone number, and the number of seats you wish to reserve.

London is participating in a global theatrical event.

Throughout the month of October (the ten-year anniversary of the events in the play), there are performances and readings of THERE IS A FIELD in countries and cities around the globe, including Jerusalem, New York, Jenin, Zimbabwe, Haifa, Kuwait, Nairobi, Seattle, Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Skopje, Sarajevo, Ottawa, Dubai, France, Morocco, Minneapolis, Chile, and many more.

In October 2000, twelve Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli security forces during demonstrations inside Israel. The youngest of those killed was a 17-year old peace activist named Aseel Asleh. Aseel had been a leading participant in an Israeli/Palestinian dialogue program called Seeds of Peace. He was wearing his Seeds of Peace t-shirt at the time of his killing and was buried in it.

THERE IS A FIELD is a play about Aseel’s life and his death, through the perspective of his older sister, Nardeen. The playwright, Jen Marlowe, knew Aseel and is close to his family. She constructed the play entirely from interviews with Nardeen and other members of Aseel’s family, emails between Aseel and Nardeen, emails between Aseel and his friends from Seeds of Peace, and transcripts from the Israeli government commission of inquiry established to investigate the killings. THERE IS A FIELD also addresses the larger struggles facing Palestinians inside Israel. On the ten-year anniversary of Asel’s death, THERE IS A FIELD offers an important opportunity to bring these issues into the wider Israel/Palestine discourse.

Discussion with playwright Jen Marlowe, Jamila Asleh (Aseel’s mother), director Khalid Laith and the cast will follow the reading.

Suggested ticket donation: 5 pounds (no one turned away for lack of funds) Any proceeds will go towards the Asleh family’s efforts to preserve Aseel’s writings in a tri-lingual (Arabic, Hebrew and English) website and a book

THERE IS A FIELD is supported by the Jerusalem Fund.

Please visit http://www.donkeysaddle.org/ for more information about the global theatrical action!