Israeli theatre show cancelled due to Palestinian protest

Scottish arts festival The Edinburgh Fringe has cancelled an Israeli hip-hop opera following Palestinian solidarity protests. The show, titled The City, opened at the festival on Wednesday (30Jul14) and attracted a demo outside by up to 100 members of the Scottish Palestinian solidarity campaign.
The opera is presented by Jerusalem-based company Incubator Theatre, which receives money from the Israeli government.
Venue bosses at the Underbelly Cow Barn said the protest was so disruptive they had no choice but to cancel the remainder of The City’s run, but they are currently working with the company in order to find a new venue.
A spokesperson for Underbelly adds, “After discussions between Underbelly, Incubator Theatre, the University of Edinburgh and Police Scotland it was agreed that future performances of The City at the Reid Hall would be cancelled.
“Today’s (30Jul14) performance of The City went ahead as planned, but the logistics of policing and stewarding the protest around The Reid Hall – and the effect of the disturbance on Underbelly and other venues’ other shows – make it untenable for the show to continue in the Cowbarn, Reid Hall.”
More than 50 Scottish artists and writers had previously signed a letter calling for the show’s cancellation due to the current escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.