Even without playwright David Hare in the lead role, Via Dolorosa at Seattle's A Contemporary Theatre is proving to hold its own. The show, starring David Pichette, has extended through Aug. 6 on the company's Bullitt space. An original close date was set for July 30 after performances began July 14. Kurt Beattie directs.

Following the final matinee performance Aug. 6, a special panel discussion, "Stones or Ideas? The Middle East Conflict in Context" will be held at 3:45 in the Bullitt. Guest panelists include Joel Migdal, Robert F. Philip, the professor of International Studies at the University of Washington and the author of "Palestinians: The Making of a People" and Patricia Woods of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at the University of Washington. Reservations for the free talk can be made by calling the ACT box office at (206) 292-7676.

Hare's autobiographical work concerns the playwright's experiences during a 1997 trip to Israel and the Palestinian territory. Via debuted in London in 1998 and bowed on Broadway in the spring of 1999, with Hare repeating his performance.

A vet of many Seattle productions, actor Pichette's recent work has included Nixon in Nixon's Nixon, hotel detective Harold in Communicating Doors, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and Ziggy in Side Man.

Other Hare plays include Amy's View, The Blue Room and Racing Demon. For tickets ($15), call (206) 292-7676. A Contemporary Theatre is located at Kreielsheimer Place at the corner of 7th Avenue and Union Street. A Contemporary Theatre is on the web at http://www.accttheatre.org.

-- By Christine Ehren