Oslo, currently playing at the National Theatre, has announced a series of special events to celebrate International Day of Peace prior to its West End transfer.
21 September
The United Nations has declared 21 September International Day of Peace, a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. To mark this important day as it observed around the world, the fly-tower of National Theatre will be lit with the word ‘PEACE’.
11 October
Gala performance in partnership with Children of Peace and The International Peace Institute to celebrate the opening of Oslo in the West End.
Children of Peace is a UK based non-partisan, international conflict resolution organisation founded by its President Richard Martin in 2004. It aims to build friendship, trust and reconciliation between Israeli and Palestinian children regardless of culture, community, faith or gender, aged 4-17 through arts, education, healthcare and sports projects in the region so that a future generation and their communities might live in peace, side-by-side.
The International Peace Institute (IPI) of which Terje Rød-Larsen is President, is an independent, international not-for-profit think tank dedicated to managing risk and building resilience to promote peace, security, and sustainable development.
17 October
A pre-performance discussion ‘Can We Bring Peace Between Enemies’ held in conjunction with Intelligence Squared with speakers including Jonathan Freedland (Chair) Guardian columnist, broadcaster and author, William Sieghart Founder and Chairman of Forward Thinking, an NGO which works with the leadership of all parties on both sides of the divide in the Israel/Palestine conflict and Jamie Rubin Assistant Secretary of State and Chief Spokesman for the US State Department under Madeleine Albright from 1997-2000, during a major Clinton administration push for an Israel-Palestine peace deal. Intelligence Squared is the world’s premier forum for debate and intelligent discussion.
Oslo tells the true story of how one young Norwegian couple Mona Juul and her husband, Terje Rød-Larsen planned and orchestrated top-secret, high-level meetings between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, which culminated in the signing of the historic 1993 Oslo Accords. Featuring dozens of characters and set in locations across the globe, Oslo is both a political thriller and the personal story of a small band of women and men struggling together – and fighting each other – as they seek to change the world.
Find out more about these special events on the National Theatre website.