The British author Caryl Churchill was actually supposed to be awarded the “European Playwrights Prize 2022” this month: 75,000 euros in recognition of her entire work – a highly endowed award, presented by the Stuttgart Theater and funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and Education Art Baden-Wuerttemberg. After allegations of anti-Semitism, however, the English playwright has now been stripped of the prize, as reported by Schauspiel Stuttgart. The jury, which decided in April for the 84-year-old as the winner, decided after renewed deliberation to “withdraw its decision” and not to award the prize “to its great regret” this year. The reason: The jury is now aware of the author’s signatures in connection with the Israel boycott movement BDS. In addition, there is a piece by Churchill called “Seven Jewish Children” that could appear anti-Semitic – as the jury apparently only found out afterwards. The mini-play (subtitled “A Play for Gaza”) is from 2009. The author, a declared supporter of the Palestine solidarity campaign, was accused of anti-Semitism even then.
Because of their proximity to the anti-Israel boycott movement BDS (“Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions”), the French writer and this year’s winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Annie Ernaux, and the British musician and Pink Floyd-Co-founder Roger Waters faced criticism. There are calls to cancel the Waters concerts planned for 2023 in Munich and Hesse. Annie Ernaux, whose honor was widely applauded, is expected by many to at least give an explanatory speech when she accepts the Nobel Prize in Literature in Stockholm in December.
The jury claims that it was not sufficiently informed beforehand
The jury for the Drama Prize appointed by Schauspiel Stuttgart is now citing information that it did not have before when withdrawing it. One could also say: which she has not researched. The jury is reacting to criticism of Caryl Churchill, which the journalistic blog “Ruhr barons” and which Volker Beck, the President of the German-Israeli Society, also took up at the beginning of the week. He then asked the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, to return the patronage for the “European Dramatists: Inside Prize”. The highly endowed prize was launched just two years ago as a prestigious award from the Stuttgarter Schauspiel and is to be presented every two years.The first time, in 2020, it went to the Lebanese-Canadian author and director Wajdi Mouawad.
Caryl Churchill should have accepted the award on November 20th at the Stuttgart Schauspielhaus. “Churchill takes on societal, humane, scientific and political issues,” it said in the original Jury statement, and further: “In her numerous plays she has sharply worked out different power structures.” The jury, chaired by the publicist Peter Michalzik, includes the artistic director of the Maillon Theater in Strasbourg, Barbara Engelhardt, the theater critic of the timePeter Kümmel, the artistic director of the Berlin Schaubühne, Thomas Ostermeier, and the Minister for Science, Research and Art of Baden-Württemberg, Petra Olschowski.