\nThis statement in support of Nabil Al-Raee, Zakaria Zubeidi and The Freedom Theatre has so far been signed by nearly two hundred members of the artistic community in the US – including Maya Angelou, Danny Glover, Noam Chomsky, Raymond Bobgan, Leila Buck, James Bundy, Linda Chapman, Kathleen Chalfant, Clare Coss, Bill English, Eve Ensler, Oskar Eustis, Jonathan Fox, Lameece Isaaq, Melanie Joseph, Tony Kushner and Jim Nicola.
\nTo add your name, send an email to friends@thefreedomtheatre.org. Include any occupation and organizational affiliation you wish listed.
\n
\nA Statement By The Theatre Community of The United States
\n
\nIt has come to our attention that on June 6, 2012, Nabil Al Raee, Artistic Director of The Freedom Theatre, was arrested at gunpoint at 3:15am by the Israeli Defense Forces at his home in Jenin. This arrest and continuing detention violates Nabil Al Raee\u2019s basic human rights and international law.
\n
\nAl Raee was held for over two weeks before being allowed counsel and has still not been allowed to see his family. He has not been brought to court or accused of any crime. In the United States this arrest would be illegal. In Israel this arrest would be illegal. Under international law this arrest and detention is illegal, and it should be illegal in the Occupied Territory of The West Bank,
\n
\nSix times in the last ten months members of The Freedom Theatre staff have been arrested and detained without charge. On May 5, The Freedom Theatre co-founder, Zakaria Zubeidi, was arrested by Palestinian Authority security forces. He remains in custody with no clear reason for his arrest and has also not been given access to his family. Zubeidi is well known for his determination to eschew armed resistance to the Israeli occupation in favor of cultural resistance. What we have learned from Zubeidi, the tragedy of Juliano Mer Khamis, and Arna\u2019s Children is that we all need more theatre not less. The children of all refugee camps need more theatre, more arts activity, not less, and The Freedom Theatre stands for more personal freedom and free expression, not less.
\n
\nNabil Al Raee is an artist, not a criminal, but apparently in the West Bank, being an artist at The Freedom Theatre is now a crime. The IDF, in its continuing harassment of The Freedom Theatre staff, has taken a man into custody who has chosen to resist through purely artistic means. We believe that Al Raee is being targeted as an effort to intimidate and harass The Freedom Theatre because of its vital work in serving and empowering refugee youth and its artistic expression of political viewpoints.
\n
\nThe theatre community in the United States is gravely concerned about this matter.
\n
\nWe denounce these arrests and detentions. We demand the immediate release of Nabil Al Raee and Zakaria Zubeidi. If they continue to be incarcerated, we demand that they be afforded proper legal protections due to any person under the law: including public hearings where the reasons for their arrests are made public, continuing access to counsel, and immediate access to their families.
\n
\nFor any society that claims to be a democracy, where the rule of law presides over public life, it is necessary that all persons be protected by due process and from unlawful arrest, torture or abuse including arbitrary imprisonment by the military. For any democracy to thrive, artists must be free to express themselves. Out of solidarity with a fellow artistic leader, we ask that the Israeli and Palestinian authorities reconsider their positions and immediately return to actions that demonstrate respect for the arts and all people\u2019s basic human rights.
\n
\nPatricia Ann Abraham
\nMiriam Adams, Retired information researcher\/librarian
\nJames Al-Shamma, Assistant Professor of Theatre
\nAmmiel Alcalay, Professor, Queens College, CUNY Graduate Center
\nJenifer J. Alonzo, Assistant Professor, Communication and Theatre Arts, Old Dominion University
\nAline Alterman, Philosopher
\nPhyllis Andrews
\nMaya Angelou, Poet
\nFrederick Apffel-Marglin, Founder\/Director, Sachamama Center, Lamas, San Martin, Peru
\nAnthony Arnove, Author\/Editor, Haymarket Books
\nSonja Arsham Kuftinec, Professor, MA\/PHD Program Head, Theater Arts & Dance, U. of Minnesota
\nSarika Arya, Student, Yale U. & London School of Economics
\nKatherine G. Baker
\nEtienne Balibar, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Distinguished Professor of Humanities Universite Paris-Nanterre, U. of California
\nGeorge Bartenieff, Actor, Theatre Three Collaborative
\nJan Bauman
\nJay Benedict, Actor\/Director
\nNatalia Berlin
\nPamela Berlin, Theater Director
\nPaul Birchard, Actor\/Director
\nRaymond Bobgan, Artistic Director, Cleveland Public Theatre
\nWendy Brown, Professor Political Science, UC Berkeley
\nLeila Buck, Actress, Writer
\nJames Bundy, Dean\/Artistic Director, Yale School of Drama\/Yale Repertory Theatre
\nInea Bushnaq, Folklorist
\nJudith Butler, Writer, UC Berkeley
\nWilliam Carden, Artistic Director, Ensemble Studio Theatre
\nLaura Carlos
\nMarvin Carlson, Sidney Cohn Distinguished Professor of Theatre, Comparative Literature and Middle Eastern Studies, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
\nHenry Chalfant, Photographer\/Documentary Filmmaker
\nKathleen Chalfant, Actor
\nLinda S. Chapman, Associate Artistic Director, New York Theatre Workshop
\nAlexandra Chen, Conflict Specialist
\nNoam Chomsky, Linguist, Philosopher, Activist, Professor, MIT
\nEli Colasante, Eli\u2019s Compost
\nDavid Copelin, Playwright
\nCatherine Corey, Associate Arts Professor, TSOA Dept of Drama, Experimental Theatre Wing, NYU
\nClare Coss, Playwright
\nAndrew Courtney, Photographer\/Filmmaker
\nOrletta Crispino, Artistic Director, Theaterlab NYC
\nM. Phyllis Cunningham, Nurse, Political Activist, Granny Peace Brigade
\nKhaled Dajani
\nWendy Dannett
\nIanthe Demos, Artistic Director, One Lease Theater Company
\nKiko Denzer
\nDavid Diamond, Artistic and Managing Director, Theatre for Living (Headlines Theatre)
\nWilliam J. Doan, Professor of Theatre, Associate Dean Research, Graduate Studies, College of Arts and Architecture, Penn State University
\nLeslie Dryer, Shadowlight Productions
\nMary Dwan
\nSally Eberhardt, Co-founder, Theaters Against War
\nSusan Einbinder, Rabbi
\nLewis Elbinger
\nLinda Elbow, Business and Touring Manager, Bread & Puppet Theater
\nPamela Emerson
\nBill English, Artistic Director, San Francisco Playhouse
\nGary M. English, Artistic Manager, The Freedom Theatre, U. Conn
\nEve Ensler, Playwright\/performer\/activist, V-Day
\nOskar Eustis, Artistic Director, The Public Theater (ID purposes only)
\nZohar Eviatar, Professor, University of Haifa
\nNancy Lee Farrell, Al Rowwad USA
\nElsa First
\nBrandon Fisette, Theater Student, Central Conn. State U.
\nBerenice Fisher
\nJanet M. Fishman, Actress\/Playwright
\nColleen Fitzpatrick
\nJonathan Fox, Co-founder, Playback Theater
\nJohn Frazier, Israel\/Palestine Committee of Brooklyn For Peace, & New Yorkers Against the Cornell-Technion Partnership (NYACT)
\nSarah Nash Gates, Executive Director, School of Theatre, U. of Washington
\nEllen Geer, Artistic Director, Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
\nEdward Geffner
\nM. L. Geiger, Lighting Designer, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU
\nFelice Gelman
\nMirene Ghossein, Cultural & Political Activist
\nPeggy Gillespie
\nStephanie Gilman, Educator
\nTerri Ginsberg
\nSamuel Gladstone, Physician
\nDanny Glover, Actor, Director, Political Activist
\nStathis Gourgouris, Columbia University
\nRoberto Gutierrez Varea, Associate Professor, Performing Arts & Social Justice, University of San Francisco
\nThomas Haley, Photojournalist
\nRobin Hanvelt
\nFaye Hargate, Cleveland Public Theatre
\nAndrea Harris, Assistant Professor of Dance, U. of Wisconsin-Madison
\nTom Hayden, Director, Center for Participatory Democracy
\nDeborah A. Hecht
\nStanley Heller, Chairperson, Middle East Crisis Committee
\nJane Hirschmann, organizer, Jews Say No, US Boat to Gaza
\nShelisa Howard-Martinez
\nElizabeth Huff
\nEllen Isaacs
\nLameece Isaaq, Actor\/Playwright
\nMark C. Johnson, Fellowship of Reconciliation
\nMelanie Joseph, Founder\/Artistic Director, The Foundry Theatre
\nJake Kader, Artist
\nAmy E. Kahn, Psy.D. EMDR Human Assistance Program, Trauma Recovery Network
\nLinda Kattuah, Garden Designer, Palestinian-American
\nTarak Kauff, Veterans for Peace
\nDavid Kaye, Chair, Dept. of Theatre and Dance, U. of New Hampshire
\nJill Kirschner, Lawyer\/Teacher
\nPete Klosterman, Software Engineer
\nStephen Vincent Kobasa, Writer
\nJulie Kumble
\nTony Kushner, Playwright
\nLynne LaBont\u00e9-Ndiaye, Media Education Foundation
\nEd Lachman, Cinematographer
\nNora Lapin
\nPaul Larudee, Free Palestine Movement, International Solidarity Movement – Northern California & Global March to Jerusalem, North America
\nPaul Laverty, Writer, Sixteen Films
\nMicah Leshem, Professor, University of Haifa
\nMark LeVine, Professor, UC Irvine
\nRobert Levitt
\nRichard Levy, Lawyer, Levy Ratner, PC, on Mamilla case
\nKen Loach, Director, Sixteen Films
\nKathleen M. Lord, Speech-language pathologist
\nTatiana Elizabeth Lyulkin, Playwright
\nCalvin MacLean, Artistic Director, Clarence Brown Theatre
\nAonghas MacNeacail, Poet
\nLiz Magnes, Pianist
\nRafi Magnes, Photographer
\nDina Magnes
\nKaren Malpede, Playwright, Theatre Three Collaborative
\nRuth Margraff, Art Institute of Chicago
\nJoel Martin, Playwright & Senior Lecturer in Theatre, Johns Hopkins University
\nLaine H. Massey
\nThomas Matsuda, Professor, Mount Wachusett Community College
\nDavid McReynolds, Former Chair, War Resisters International
\nErin Mee, Assistant Professor\/Faculty Fellow, NYU Dept. of English, Program in Dramatic Literature
\nSusan Miller, Israeli Citizen
\nAl Miller, Artistic Director, Theatre Project
\nVictoria Mills, Director, Hidden Battles
\nRobert Miyake-Stoner, Minister, United Methodist Church
\nAlema Morelli, Actor
\nCharles Morey, Artistic Director, Emeritus The Pioneer Theatre Co.
\nKim Morrison, Actor, Producer
\nLaura Myerson, Wespac
\nMichael Myerson
\nAlan Myerson, Film and Television Director, Theater Director and Producer
\nEric Nelson, Transatlantic Love Affair theatre company
\nDiana Neslen, Jews for Justice for Palestinians
\nJames Nicola, Artistic Director, New York Theatre Workshop
\nKathy Nitsan
\nDevon Nola
\nIfeoma Nwokoye
\nRebecca O’Brien, Producer, Sixteen Films
\nRose O’Connell-Marion, College Student
\nJohn E. O’Connor, Professor of Theatre, Department of Communication and Theatre Arts, School of Fine Arts
\nEvelyn Ophir
\nMarvin Ortel
\nKarin Pally
\nMaryLouise Patterson, Physician, Northern Manhattan Neighbors for Peace and Justice
\nJosh Perlstein, Actor\/Director
\nSid Phoenix, Actor, A Winter Road
\nBrian Pickett
\nMike Pincus
\nFrederick Pyne
\nPeter Rachleff, Professor of History, Macalester College
\nPriscilla Read, Jewish Voice for Peace – Westchester
\nDavid Regon, Puppeteer\/ Actor\/ Scenic Designer
\nJudy Richardson, Filmmaker, Lecturer<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This statement in support of Nabil Al-Raee, Zakaria Zubeidi and The Freedom Theatre has so far been signed by nearly two hundred members of the artistic community in the US – including Maya Angelou, Danny Glover, Noam Chomsky, Raymond Bobgan, Leila Buck, James Bundy, Linda Chapman, Kathleen Chalfant, Clare Coss, Bill English, Eve Ensler, […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}