Via Dolorosa by David Hare 
Via Dolorosa is a dramatic account of David Hare’s travels through Israel and Palestine in 1997, from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Gaza and Ramallah.
The Chapel in the Garden in presenting the play in Friday 2 October at 7.30. David Hare refers to his monologue, which was first performed in 1998, as dramatic journalism, and it’s certainly that. He meets theatre practitioners, politicians, aid workers and settlers on the West Bank whose comments illustrate a fractured society with vivid rhetoric, metaphors and frustration. The producer, Margie Barbour, who is bringing the production to Bridport explained, “I saw David Hare perform it at the Royal Court in 1998 and it has stayed with me ever since. It was a very powerful experience, and having discovered that Gary is touring the play, I felt we must bring it here.”
Despite being written almost 30 years ago the play provides a unique insight into the deeply felt emotions of those on all sides of the conflict – a must for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of the region. How can art capture those passions and reflect them in a meaningful way? Here is your answer.
The first rehearsal for the choir for their part in the performance of Via Dolorosa in the Chapel in the Garden was on Monday 24 August. The 30 members gathered to learn songs in Hebrew and Arabic as well as Latin. Experienced and gifted choir leader Jane Silver Corren had 5 weeks to prepare them for a public performance when they would be singing to accompany Gary Hay’s outstanding presentation of the play
Via Dolorosa by David Hare in Bridport on Friday 2 October. Jane explained the challenge in teaching the songs, “I’m extremely grateful to have the opportunity to teach songs in these two wonderful middle eastern languages. It’s challenging because Arabic and Hebrew are similar with subtle differences. They are known as sister languages. The songs are full of emotion and yearning and I’ve had to try and focus on being present with the teaching and not getting too swept away with the feelings expressed in the songs.”
The play is acted and directed by Gary Hay; his performances were a sell out at the recent Edinburgh Festival, gaining five star reviews, “Twenty-nine years on, it still seems incredibly important and watchable. Everyone should see it” and a recent performance at the Ustinov Theatre in Bath “a moving account by a writer striving to get to the heart of a tragic conflict, struggling not to let prejudiced thinking get in the way: ‘We are all blind – we only see what we want to see.’ “
The production is raising funds for the charities Oasis of Peace, who work to advance peace and equality between Jews and Palestinians, and The Chapel in the Garden. Friday 2 October at 7.30 in the Chapel in the Garden, 49 East St, Bridport. DT6 3JX Tickets £17.00 from the Tourist Information Centre in Bridport 01308 424901 https://bridportandwestbay.co.uk/events/via-dolorosa/