Northwestern University evacuates October 7 play performance after fire alarm was set off
The production, written by Irish journalists Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, is built from word-for-word survivor testimonies detailing the Hamas terror attacks in Israel.
A verbatim play depicting the Hamas terror attacks in Israel was abruptly interrupted and forced to evacuate at Northwestern University's Cahn Auditorium on Tuesday. The production, written by Irish journalists Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, features firsthand accounts of the events, with upcoming performances scheduled at various universities and venues across the United States.
The incident occurred during a sold-out performance, with audience members standing up and exiting the auditorium as a fire alarm blared. The incident was particularly impactful given that it took place on October 7 in Israel and the audience included Abby Polin, the aunt of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and Hersh's grandmother.
After the evacuation, the audience was allowed back into the theater after the police gave the all-clear, and the performance concluded with a standing ovation. The creators of the play emphasized that they were not present for the show and were watching it live via Zoom while their production team was on site. The incident sparked outrage among the Jewish community, with Israel's consul-general in Chicago reacting to the disruption on X/Twitter, emphasizing that the survivors' stories deserved to be heard and the audience and production deserved to be safe.
The university's director of the play, Jeff Gurner, dismissed the disruption as an insignificant protest and expressed determination not to be shut down, while the cast and crew were deeply committed to finishing the performance and delivering a standing ovation.
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