Why did a theatre in B.C. cancel a production of The Runner?

The Belfry Theatre in Victoria has cancelled a showing of The Runner, a play that deals with violence in the Middle East.

Written and performed by Toronto playwright Christopher Morris, The Runner centres on Jacob, an Orthodox-Jewish man and a ZAKA volunteer. ZAKA works to collect and identify the remains of Jewish people killed in accidents, natural disasters, and attacks so that they may be buried whole according to religious law. The play follows Jacob and the fallout from his decision to save a Palestinian woman accused of violence against a soldier from Israel. 

The Belfry Theatre dropped the play from its spring lineup after receiving backlash. There were people calling for its cancellation, and others calling for its continued performance. 

A statement posted by The Belfry Theatre said, "Given the current conflict in the Middle East, this is not the time for a play which may further tensions among our community."

Theatre critic Aisling Murphy joins Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss the community and the theatre's response.

LISTEN | Today's episode on YouTube:

Murphy says the complexity of The Runner comes not from the plot, but from this moment when Jacob gives a Palestinian woman CPR, and he is left to reflect on why he saved her.

"There's a moment in the play that's incredibly visceral and graphic, but I think also shows a lot of the intent of the play, where she actually coughs up quite a bit of blood into his mouth as he's giving her CPR, which, if you know anything about keeping kosher, you can't do that," Murphy explains.

"He spends much of the play reflecting on that, and the play really turns into a case of, 'Why did I save her instead of doing my job first? Did I do the right thing by saving her instead of doing my job first?'"

While the controversy around this play is new, the play itself isn't. It came out in 2019 and has been staged in six cities. Back in the year it came out, it won the 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Production.

Murphy says The Runner could have been about any world conflict and it would not have had this strong of a reaction.

"What's so interesting about this play and in conversations I've had with colleagues since this controversy sort of broke out, this play really could have been about any place or anything. Christopher Morris is not himself Israeli. He doesn't have a particularly strong personal connection to this conflict. All this to say, this could have been a play that was produced in 2022, set in Ukraine."

Murphy acknowledges that the timing of the current showings of The Runner is unfortunate, but a lot of the backlash has to do with the audience's understanding, or lack thereof, of the play's intent.

"I think people may hear that one-line summary and think, 'No, this is harmful.' And I understand that understanding. It's just not complete because [they're] not taking in the full intent of the play and what the play actually does cover."

As for whether the Canadian theatre scene will ease up anytime soon, Murphy states that artists will continue to make art, especially during conflict. Although she hopes that we see art emerge that does have lived personal experience, because she believes it's what the conversation needs. 

"That's what I think is perhaps missing from The Runner and why The Runner has perhaps stirred up as much controversy as it has on the West Coast." 

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Aisling Murphy produced by Jess Low