Raise funds for MAP through organising a production of Seven Jewish Children

From Hong Kong to Chicago to Istanbul to Tel Aviv, people are performing Caryl Churchill's play, Seven Jewish Children, a play for Gaza. This ten minute play begins around 70 years ago. It takes you through certain events in Jewish history, ending with the bombing of Gaza in early 2009. 13 performances took place on the main stage of the Royal Court Theatre, during February 2009.

Written in early 2009 in response to the war on Gaza, Caryl Churchill wrote the play as a means of giving to MAP and supporting our humanitarian work in the region. All funds raised at the performances are to be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). Making the tickets free is important to Churchill. "It came out of feeling strongly about what's happening in Gaza - it's a way of helping the people there. Everyone knows about Gaza, everyone is upset about it, and this play is something they could come to."

Watch a performance of the play

It would be great to see any photos taken and to hear why you chose to hold the event. We would also love to hear from you if you are planning to perform it in the future so we can support your event.

Please email us at info@map-uk.org or call 0207 226 4114 with any related questions.

Who is Caryl Churchill?

Born in London in 1938, Churchill grew up in the Lake District then emigrated to Montreal, Canada after world war II at the age of ten. She returned to England in 1960 to study English Literature at Oxford University and began her career there.

Downstairs, her first play, was written while she was still at University, was first staged in 1958 and won an award at the Sunday Times National Union of Students Drama Festival. She wrote a number of plays for BBC radio including The Ants, Lovesick and Abortive. The Judge's Wife was televised by the BBC in 1972 and Owners, her first professional stage production, premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in the same year.

In January 2009, Churchill wrote the play, Seven Jewish Children. She has said it is not just a theatre event, it is a political event.