Julia Pascal is a British playwright and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

Biography

Pascal was a

NESTA Nesta (formerly NESTA, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) is a British foundation, registered as a charity, which supports innovation. Nesta was originally funded by a £250 million endowment from the UK National Lotter ...

Dreamtime Fellow in 2006 and Writer in Residence at the

Wiener Library The Wiener Holocaust Library () is the world's oldest institution devoted to the study of the Holocaust, its causes and legacies. Founded in 1933 as an information bureau that informed Jewish communities and governments worldwide about the pers ...

in 2007 with a Leverhulme Grant. Her archive is held by the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

where she was Writer in Residence in 2003. Her journalism has been published in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

''.''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' and ''

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''. In 2016, Pascal received her PhD from

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

's Theatre, Film and Television Department.

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

awarded her a Research Fellowship in 2017. She is an Associate Research Fellow in the School of Arts at

Birkbeck University of London Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public research university located in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. Established in 1823 as the London Mechanics' ...

and a Visiting Lecturer at

City, University of London City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" an ...

on the MA Theatre Writing course. She teaches theatre at St. Lawrence University's London Study Abroad Program. In 2019-2020 she was Writer in Residence at Dyspla.

Plays

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, Pascal's stage plays include three grouped together as ''The Holocaust Trilogy''. The first of these is ''Theresa'', based on historical accounts of a Jewish woman in

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

during the German occupation in the Second World War. Original music for the play was composed by Kyla Greenbaum. It is followed by ''A Dead Woman on Holiday'', which is set during the

Nuremberg Trials #REDIRECT Nuremberg trials {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from move ...

, followed by her adaptation of Solomon Anski's '' The Dybbuk''. ''Crossing Jerusalem'' is about the conflict in the Middle East. ''The Golem'' is a version of the Prague myth of the

Golem A golem ( ; ) is an animated Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...

for young audiences. ''St Joan'' is a satire based on a Jewish Black Londoner who dreams she is

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

. ''Year Zero'' reveals World War II stories from

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

. In 2007, her adaptation of ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'' was staged at the

Arcola Theatre Arcola Theatre is in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists. The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dalston, houses two studio ...

and printed as ''The Shylock Play'' in 2009. Her autobiographical essay "Prima Ballerina Assoluta" appeared in a

Virago Press Virago is a British publisher of women's writing and books on feminist topics. Started and run by women in the 1970s and bolstered by the success of the Women's Liberation Movement (WLM), Virago has been credited as one of several British femin ...

collection ''Truth, Dare or Promise''. Her other plays include ''The Yiddish Queen Lear'' and ''Woman In The Moon''.

Oberon Press Oberon Press is an independent Canada, Canadian literary publisher founded in 1966. It focuses mainly on Canadian fiction—particularly short stories—and poetry, but also publishes criticism, history, biography and autobiography. Oberon has ...

publishes the texts of her plays. ''The Dybbuk'' premiered in London at the New End Theatre, Hampstead, in July 1992, then the Lilian Baylis Theatre. Since 1992 it has played in Munich at the Festival of Jewish Theatre, at Maubeuge's International Theatre Festival, in Poland (

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

tour), Sweden, Belgium and on a British regional tour. ''The Dybbuk'' had its US premiere at Theater for the New City in New York City in August 2010. ''The Wedding Party'' (known as ''Bloody Wedding'') was premiered at the Ohrid Festival 2012, Macedonia, and was performed at the Actor's Centre, London, in 2013. Her play ''Nineveh'' was produced by Theatre Témoin at

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the north bank of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having opened in May 1976, th ...

in 2013. ''St Joan'' was produced at the Edinburgh Festival in August 2014 at the

Bedlam Theatre Bedlam Theatre is a theatre in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The building was completed in 1848 for the New North Free Church. After closing as a church in 1941, the building served as a chaplaincy centre and then a s ...

. Pascal's play ''Crossing Jerusalem'' became the centre of controversy in early 2016 when the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center's Cultural Arts Theatre in North Miami-Dade cut short the play's schedule, bending to members of the Jewish community who found the play to be critical of Israel. The ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by McClatchy, The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward County, Fl ...

'' said the incident "has left raw feelings among those who call the cancellation a capitulation to politics and those who say the play was deeply and needlessly hurtful". Pascal protested that “the intent of the play was to show the complexity of Israeli life”, and called the early closure "censorship." '' Forward'' magazine commented: "The controversy mirrors others faced by American JCCs over media perceived to be critical of Israel, notably in Washington and New York". ''Crossing Jerusalem'' was produced at the Karlsruhe Staatstheater as ''Mittendurch Jerusalem'', translated by Thomas Huber. Pascal's television drama documentary for the BBC, ''Charlotte and Jane'', won awards from

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

and the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

. In 2019 her play inspired by Kurdish women soldiers, ''Blueprint Medea'', premiered at The Finborough Theatre, London. At the same theatre her play about Irish and Jewish nationalism, ''12-37'', premiered in 2022. Her semi-staged reading of ''As Happy As God In France'' was seen at Burgh House, Hampstead for Holocaust Memorial Day 2023. ''A Manchester Girlhood'' premiered at the Old Electric Theatre, Blackpool, and

Manchester Jewish Museum The Manchester Jewish Museum is a Jewish museum, Jewish history museum, located on Cheetham Hill Road in Manchester, England. The museum occupies the site of a former Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, Jewish synagogue, the place of worship ...

in 2023. Site specific plays ''Dancing, Talking Taboo!'' were performed at the Bloomsbury Festival 2021. In 2022 the Festival presented her ''Dancing, Trailblazing Taboo'', about the life of

Eleanor Marx Jenny Julia Eleanor Marx (16 January 1855 – 31 March 1898), sometimes called Eleanor Aveling and known to her family as Tussy, was the English-born youngest daughter of Karl Marx. She was herself a Socialism, socialist activist who sometimes ...

References

External links

*https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/24/women-theatre-quotas-stage-gender
Pascal Theatre CompanyJulia Pascal article
guardian.co.uk *Rehearsed reading o
Broken English
on 5 October 2009 at The Drill Hall *Rehearsed reading o
Woman on the Bridge
on 9 November 2009 at The Drill Hall
Information on her
at

London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London and London Guildhall University merged in 2002 to create the university. The Un ...

Julia Pascal Archives
at

*Julia Pascal,
I slept with my teacher
, ''

'', 9 October 2008.
List of articles
published by her in ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Pascal, Julia Living people Jewish women writers Jewish atheists British atheists British people of Romanian descent Year of birth missing (living people) British women dramatists and playwrights 21st-century British dramatists and playwrights 21st-century British women writers 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British Jews 20th-century British Jews British republicans