In 1997, after many invitations, the fifty-year-old playwright resolved finally to visit the fifty-year-old state of Israel. The resulting play, written to be performed by the author himself, offers a meditation on an extraordinary trip to both Israel and the Palestinian territory, which leaves Hare questioning his own values as searchingly as the powerful beliefs of those he met.

Via Dolorosa premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in September 1998 and transferred to the Booth Theatre, Broadway, in March 1999. Accompanying Via Dolorosa is the 1996 Eric Symes Memorial Lecture, When Shall We Live?, which addresses questions of faith.