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Citing Censorship, Artistic Directors Sign Letter of "Outrage" Over Ousting of Theater J's Ari Roth; Tony Kushner Issues Scathing Statement

By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and Carey Purcell 22 Dec 2014

Artistic directors from leading theatres in the U.S., including the Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theater, Playwrights Horizons, La Jolla Playhouse and the Guthrie Theater, issued a letter in support of Ari Roth, artistic director of Washington D.C.'s Theater J, who was fired Dec. 18, in what industry members are calling "an act of politically motivated censorship."

On Dec. 18, Roth told the Washington Post that Carole R. Zawatsky, chief executive officer of the DC Jewish Community Center, of which Theater J is an arm, delivered notice of his dismissal and that the given cause was insubordination. He had served in his role there for 18 years.

The Post reported that Roth and Zawatsky frequently disagreed on Roth's programming choices, with the most recent being over the the fate of Theater Js Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival. In November, the Jewish Daily Forward reported that the DCJCC was removing parts of the festival; Roth told the Post that his comments to the media following that article were used as an example of his insubordination.

"Theyve crafted a letter thats saying Im resigning, not fired," Roth told the Post, adding, "I was terminated abruptly." He said he refused to sign a severance agreement and that he had been discussing "an elegant transition" that would result in him departing Theater J in a few months.

The DCJCC released a statement quoting Zawatsky Dec. 18 that read: "Ari Roth has had an incredible 18-year tenure leading Theater J, and we know there will be great opportunities ahead for him. Ari leaves us with a vibrant theater that will continue to thrive."

Kushner wrote, "Ari wasn't fired, as the executive committee has claimed, because of insubordination. That's a preposterous and cowardly whitewashing of the truth. Ari was fired because he believes that a theater company with a mission to explore Jewish themes and issues cannot acquiesce to a demand for uncritical acceptance of the positions of the Israeli government regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or to insistence on silence. Ari was fired because he refused to surrender to censorship. He was fired because he believes that freedom of speech and freedom of expression are both American values and Jewish values."

The video can be seen in full at the bottom of this article.

In addition, artistic directors from leading theatre companies from across the U.S. issued a statement in support of Roth.

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Citing Censorship, Artistic Directors Sign Letter of "Outrage" Over Ousting of Theater J's Ari Roth; Tony Kushner ...