Via Dolorosa

In 1997, the playwright David Hare was invited to go to Israel. Inspired by his travels, he wrote this extraordinarily prescient play, foreshadowing arguments which are just as fresh and topical today.

Through the medium of theatre, Hare gives a dramatic account of his travels though Israel and Palestine, from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Gaza and Ramallah. The playwright was given unique access to a range of public and private figures, each with a different perspective on the region and its troubles.

The resultant drama draws together these very different voices, exposing the passions and opinions that run deep throughout the region. At the end, like its author, the audience is left wiser but exhausted by the experience.

Praise for Via Dolorosa:

“theatrically invigorating…. only a writer of considerable dramatic gifts could bring the terrible divisions of the region to such entertaining life”

“passionate intelligence and headline-fresh subject matter” 

“a work that stretches the familiar contours of the solo show in exciting new directions”

Originally performed by David Hare himself, this production is brought to you by Chasing Rainbows. The company is well known to Edinburgh: in the Covid years, they brought the critically acclaimed new show Looks Like We Made It to the Fringe; and in 2022, they produced another hit, performing Yasmina Reza’s Art.