Event
WALKING TO JERUSALEM
BUY TICKETS ONLINE AT https://walkingtojerusalem.bpt.me UNTIL 5.30PM ON DAY OF PERFORMANCE. TICKETS CAN ALSO BE PURCHASED ON THE DOOR.
From the award-winning writer of Scaramouche Jones, The Madness of George Dubya and The Devil's Passion
Passion Pit Theatre in association with Amos Trust & Amnesty International UK presents
WALKING TO JERUSALEM
A critically acclaimed new stage production telling the story of the 2017 Just Walk to Jerusalem
Written and performed by Justin Butcher
Directed by Matilda Reith
Designed by Sarah Mercadé
Music and sound by Jack C. Arnold
Video design by Damian Hale, David Shepherd & Christian Krupa
Lighting design by Tom Turner
Supported by Amos Trust, Amnesty International UK, Hodder and Stoughton, Waverley Learning & Zaytoun CIC
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK
25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA
11th-14th April 2022 at 7.30pm
Duration: 2 hours, including a 15-minute interval
'So impressive - displays the kind of unusual empathy essential in that tangled and tragic situation.' BRIAN ENO
A pilgrimage of penance, a march of solidarity - 3,400km, 147 days across eleven countries, three seas, mountains, rivers and soul-stirring landscapes from the green fields of Kent to the desert dust of Jordan.
2017 marked three major anniversaries in the Palestinian struggle: the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, the fiftieth year of Israel's military occupation of the Palestinian Territories, and the tenth year of the blockade of Gaza. To change the record after a century of injustice, a pilgrimage set out to walk from London to Jerusalem - in penance, solidarity, and hope. This was the inspiration of award-winning playwright and actor Justin Butcher, who worked with human rights charity Amos Trust to mount the Just Walk to Jerusalem, June - November 2017. Calling for full equal rights for everyone in the Holy Land, more than one hundred walkers took part. Nine walked the whole way.
This is their story - walking journals and travellers tales on paths of pilgrimage and conquest, from monasteries and mountain passes to Bedouin camps and desert wadis across Europe and the Middle East - brought to life in a dynamic new show. In a playful and inventive blend of theatre and stand-up directed by acclaimed theatre maker Matilda Reith, with a haunting and evocative soundscape and video montage created from live footage along the route, virtuoso storyteller Justin Butcher traces the perils, pratfalls and marvels of the path to Jerusalem. Along Roman roads and refugee routes, with occasional outbreaks of blisters, tear gas and desert spirituality, he conjures a chronicle of serendipity: happenstances hilarious, infuriating and occasionally numinous - or, as pilgrims might say, encounters with the Divine.
Walking to Jerusalem premiered in a critically acclaimed sell-out run at the 2019 Dublin Theatre Festival, coinciding with the UK paperback release and US publication of Justin Butcher's celebrated book, 'Walking to Jerusalem: blisters, hope and other facts on the ground'.
'Energetic and zealous, fascinating ... memorable ... the triumph of personal detail over harrowing political fact.' IRISH TIMES
'Boundless energy ... beautiful prose ... colourful characters ... his indefatigable presence as an actor, emphatic intent and writing and a sonorous audio visual montage create a piece of artful activism.' NO MORE WORKHORSE
'Rubble, sand and dust perfectly create an atmosphere of war-torn countries ... video montage, using footage from the journey, combined with sound design, together worked wonders to bring the audience on the pilgrimage ... the most compelling element of the show lies in the performance by Butcher and his direction by Matilda Reith. Through the sleepless nights, the harrowing border crossings and all the encounters along the way, Butcher regaled the story with such passion and energy that the audience were transfixed by his every word. Such tales of inspiring compassion are few and far between in these trying times; this one managed to make this self-proclaimed bystander feel a call to activism.' MEG.IE
ENDORSEMENTS for Walking to Jerusalem
'So impressive ... displays the kind of unusual empathy essential in that tangled and tragic situation.' BRIAN ENO
'An incredibly moving and fascinating pilgrim's tale of love, humour and solidarity.' ROSALIND NASHASHIBI
'Crisp and vibrant ... Justin Butcher leads us on a fascinating and thoughtful tour through history into the heart of the politics of contemporary Palestine.' JEREMY HARDY
'Butcher relights the flames of hope in our age of hopelessness.' YASMIN ALIBHAI-BROWN
'A remarkable work of humanity and humility ... fascinating, beautifully drawn, very moving and often very funny. Utterly evocative.' JOHN MCCARTHY
'Gripping and intelligent.' PATRICK COCKBURN
'Moving, challenging and motivating ... a must for everyone who yearns for peace in Palestine.'
DAVID SUCHET
'Erudite and entertaining on spirituality, history, music, architecture and ecology. But we're always aware of a sense of burning injustice at the plight of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. The denouement, when they finally arrive in the Holy Land, is both thought-provoking and inspiring.' BARNABY PHILLIPS
'Vivid with rich history, people encountered, beauty of the countries crossed on foot, like a giant moving tapestry, immediately draw us in to this great walk of hope and justice to Jerusalem. Courageous and inspiring.' SWEE ANG
'Rare and compelling ... a revelatory journey from the dirt on the ground to the dreams of so many still beyond the horizon.'
PEN HADOW
'As an Israeli who campaigns for equal rights in Palestine/Israel, I found in Justin's compelling account a clear sense that peace based on justice and equality is no pipe dream but a real possibility in my tortured land. With Justin as a guide, all of us - you, too - can begin to walk the walk.'
JEFF HALPER
'The world badly needs people like Justin Butcher. Insight and passion, soul and solidarity ... to read it is to be reminded that what is right is always found on the other side of fear.' MARK OAKLEY
Watch the 4-minute film of Just Walk to Jerusalem here: https://vimeo.com/242913350
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LocationAmnesty International UK (View)
25 New Inn Yard
London EC2A 3EA
United Kingdom
Categories
| Minimum Age: 12 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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Contact
Accessibility
BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE AT https://walkingtojerusalem.bpt.me
AVAILABLE UNTIL 5.30PM EACH DAY. THEREAFTER TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED ON THE DOOR.
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