Abstract
This chapter begins by exploring the historical development of Palestinian theatre since 1967. Retracing the historical development of a number of theatre companies, this chapter illustrates the close relationship between artistic works, the changing political climate and the national movement. Whereas between the 1970s and 1980s Palestinian theatre appeared to be inspired by radical approaches to Palestinian nationalism and global anti-imperialist discourses, the institutionalization of the two-state framework following the Oslo Accords affected cultural production in different ways. Tracking this shift across different companies, this chapter shows how theatre-makers attempt to unsettle the authority of the Zionist public sphere by continuously recalling Palestinian narratives of colonial abjection to the centre of public discourse.
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Notes
- 1.
Indeed, two key texts published during this period were Arabic-language studies of Palestinian theatre history in which the authors explicitly refer to it as a ‘theatrical movement.’ See: Muhammad Anis, al-Haraka al-Masrahiyya fi al-Manatiq al-Muhtalla, Haifa: Dar Galileo, 1979 (Arabic: ‘The theatrical movement in the occupied territories’); and Muhammad Mahamid, Masirat al-Haraka al-Masrahiyya fi al-Diffa al-Gharbiyya, 1967–1987, Taybeh, Palestine: Markaz Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, 1989 (Arabic: ‘The journeys of the theatrical movement in the West Bank, 1967–1987’).
- 2.
For more on Palestinian solidarity with Asian and African anti-colonial movements, see: Maha Nassar, ‘“My Struggle Embraces Every Struggle”: Palestinians in Israel and Solidarity with Afro-Asian Liberation Movements,’ Arab Studies Journal, vol. 22, no. 1, 2014, pp. 74–101.
- 3.
- 4.
Abu Salem was born in 1951 in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. His Hungarian father had been working as a physician since the Mandatory Period, and his mother was a French émigrée. Abu Salem trained at the Théâtre du Soleil in Paris under its legendary director Ariane Mnouchkine. He returned to Palestine in 1970, profoundly influenced by Mnouchkine’s political outlook and theatrical vision, the outcome of the War of 1967, the 1968 student uprisings and general strikes in France, and European writers and dramatists like Franz Kafka, Jean Genet and Bertolt Brecht. Although his original surname was Gaspard, ‘Abu Salem’ was given to him by other members of Balalin, and he adopted it for the rest of his life. He committed suicide in 2011. For more, see: Rania Jawad, ‘Francois Abu Salem,’ Jadaliyya, October 20, 2011, http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/2911/francois-abu-salem (accessed November 28, 2015).
- 5.
For more detailed discussions of these plays, see: Nassar, 2001, pp. 91–104; Snir, 2005a, pp. 108–29; and Snir, 2005b, pp. 13–22. For the script of al-’Atma, see: The Balalin Company of Jerusalem, ‘Darkness,’ trans. Aida Bamia and Thomas G. Ezzy, in Salma Khadra Jayyusi and Roger Allen (eds), Modern Arabic Drama, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995, pp. 187–211.
- 6.
On the profound influence of Brecht on Palestinian theatre-makers, see: Reuven Snir, ‘Palestinian Theatre as a Junction of Cultures: The Case of Samih al-Qasim’s Qaraqash,’ Journal of Theatre and Drama, vol. 2, 1996, pp. 101–20; and Werner Ende, ‘The Palestine Conflict as Reflected in Contemporary Arabic Literature,’ in Gustav Stein and Udo Steinbach (eds), The Contemporary Middle Eastern Scene: Basic and Major Trends, Opladen, Germany: Leske & Budrich, 1979, pp. 154–67.
- 7.
For the names of these companies, refer to: Nassar, 2001, pp. 82–83.
- 8.
- 9.
Based on a number of informal conversations with members of the Orient & Dance Theatre in Ramallah in April 2013. One of them said that she and her friends generally avoid Al-Kasaba Theatre and Ashtar Theatre because ‘we don’t know what’s behind them,’ referring to the theatres’ revenue streams.
- 10.
For more on this, see: Samer Al-Saber and Yana Taylor (2014) “Reflecting on Palestinian Theatre: A Resilient Theatre of Resistance.” Performance Paradigm, vol. 10, pp. 94–103.
- 11.
George Ibrahim, interview with the author, June 1, 2015.
- 12.
Ibid. In this conversation, Ibrahim says: ‘This theatre—I mean, the group of this theatre—was established in 1970 in Jerusalem.’
- 13.
George Ibrahim, interview with the author, June 1, 2015.
- 14.
George Ibrahim, interview with the author, June 10, 2014.
- 15.
The Arabic title was al-Mawt bi-la Qubur, or ‘Death Without Graves.’ George Ibrahim, interview with author, June 30, 2014.
- 16.
George Ibrahim, interview with the author, June 1, 2015.
- 17.
Ibid.
- 18.
Ibid.
- 19.
George Ibrahim, interview with the author, June 10, 2014.
- 20.
For an infographic outlining how the identity cards system functions in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, see: Visualizing Palestine, Identity Crisis: The Israeli ID System, 2014, http://visualizingpalestine.org/visuals/identity-crisis-the-israeli-id-system (accessed November 12, 2015).
- 21.
It is interesting to note that the PFLP fighter Leila Khaled, who gained worldwide notoriety in the 1970s for her part in hijacking two airplanes, was also released from detention in a British jail in 1970 as part of a prisoner-hostage exchange deal between the British government and the PFLP. For a full cast list of the play and a blurb, see: Al-Kasaba Theatre & Cinematheque, Death and the Maiden 1997, http://www.alkasaba.org/details.php?id=6tjqnta1905yppi229ew2 (accessed July 2, 2015). For more information on the secret discussions between the PFLP and the British and Jordanian governments, see: The National Archives, ‘New Year Releases 2001,’ pp. 49–67, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/nyo_2001_pt2.pdf (accessed July 2, 2015). The document includes records from British Cabinet meetings (CAB 128/47, 164/75 and 164/795) and the Prime Minister’s Office (PREM 15/202).
- 22.
For a full cast list and blurb, see: Al-Kasaba Theatre & Cinematheque, Saccho & Vanzetti 1998 [sic], http://www.alkasaba.org/details.php?id=438ez7a1879ytvve68jiw (accessed July 2, 2015).
- 23.
George Ibrahim, interview with the author, June 1, 2015.
- 24.
Ibid.
- 25.
George Ibrahim, interview with the author, June 10, 2014.
- 26.
George Ibrahim, interview with the author, June 1, 2015.
- 27.
For more on the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, see: Ibrahim Abu-Lughod and Eqbal Ahmad (eds), ‘The Invasion of Lebanon’ (Special issue), Race & Class, vol. 24, no. 4, 1983; Helena Cobban, The Making of Modern Lebanon, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1985; Robert Fisk, Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001; and Bayan N. Al-Hout, Sabra and Shatila: September 1982, London: Pluto Press, 2004.
- 28.
David Greig, ‘Welcome to the Fringe,’ Front Step, August 2, 2014, http://www.front-step.co.uk/2014/08/02/welcome-to-the-fringe (accessed July 4, 2015).
- 29.
Ibid.
- 30.
George Ibrahim, interview with the author, June 10, 2014.
- 31.
Michael Billington, ‘Drama that Brings us the News,’ The Guardian, June 30, 2001, http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2001/jun/30/theatre.artsfeatures (accessed July 4, 2015).
- 32.
Michael Billington, ‘Alive From Palestine,’ The Guardian, July 24, 2002, http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2002/jul/24/theatre.artsfeatures (accessed July 4, 2015).
- 33.
Iman Aoun, interview with the author, June 3, 2015.
- 34.
Ibid.
- 35.
Ashtar Theatre, Newsletter, January-May 2015, 2015, Ramallah: Ashtar Theatre, http://masrah-theater.net/images/ashtar/2015/ashtar.newsletter.final.2015.pdf (accessed November 24, 2015).
- 36.
Ibid.
- 37.
Ibid.
- 38.
Iman Aoun, interview with the author, June 3, 2015.
- 39.
Ibid.
- 40.
Ibid.
- 41.
Ibid.
- 42.
Ibid.
- 43.
A public panel discussion, which I attended, was held at Shakespeare’s Globe in London on 4 April 2012 after the matinee performance. The panel consisted of Iman Aoun, Nicola Zreinah (playing Bolingbroke), George Ibrahim (Gloucester), the playwright Sonja Linden (artistic director of ice&fire, a theatre company focusing on human rights), and the writer and broadcaster Bidisha. It was chaired by Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, a founder of Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, and a member of Jews for Justice for Palestinians. The full discussion is available at: inminds, ‘Palestinian Theatre Ashtar at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 4 May 2012,’ YouTube, May 13, 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiPjW7octrY (accessed June 29, 2015). (The date on the YouTube video is incorrect.)
- 44.
Sarah Irving, ‘Shakespeare in Palestine: Theater Director Speaks on Arabic Version of Richard II,’ The Electronic Intifada, April 27, 2012, http://electronicintifada.net/content/shakespeare-palestine-theater-director-speaks-arabic-version-richard-ii/11218 (accessed November 24, 2015).
- 45.
Ibid.
- 46.
Abdelfattah Abusrour, interview with the author, May 26, 2015.
- 47.
For more on the failure of the Oslo process, see: Edward W. Said, The End of the Peace Process: Oslo and After, 2nd ed., London: Granta Books, 2002; Marwan Bishara, Palestine/Israel: Peace or Apartheid: Occupation, Terrorism and the Future, 2nd ed., London: Zed Books, 2002; and Sara Roy, Failing Peace: Gaza and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, London: Pluto Press, 2007.
- 48.
Abdelfattah Abusrour, interview with the author, May 26, 2015.
- 49.
Ibid.
- 50.
For a photograph of the mural, see: Akkas, ‘Part of the Apartheid Wall, Bethlehem,’ Flickr, April 22, 2013, http://www.flickr.com/photos/akkasistan/9444657580/in/album-72157634943793398 (accessed June 25, 2015).
- 51.
For a photograph of the mural, see: Akkas, ‘Aida camp,’ Flickr, April 22, 2013, http://www.flickr.com/photos/akkasistan/9444659490/in/album-72157634943793398 (accessed June 25, 2015).
- 52.
Abdelfattah Abusrour, interview with author, May 26, 2015.
- 53.
Abdelfattah Abusrour, ‘Theatre and Conflict’ (public lecture), Bristol Palestine Film Festival, Bristol, October 24, 2012.
- 54.
Ibid.
- 55.
Ibid.
- 56.
Ibid.
- 57.
Ibid.
- 58.
Raeda Ghazaleh, interview with the author, May 19, 2014.
- 59.
Ibid.
- 60.
Ibid.
- 61.
Ibid.
- 62.
Marina Barham, interview with the author, April 23, 2013.
- 63.
Ghazaleh and Barham were reluctant to go into detail about the nature of this conflict, and it would be incorrect and unfair to speculate here.
- 64.
Marina Barham, interview with the author, April 23, 2013.
- 65.
See: World Health Organization, ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory: HIV/AIDS Tuberculosis Programme: Phase 2 of the Global Fund to Fight Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria (GFTAM) Round 7 in oPt,’ n.d., http://www.emro.who.int/pse/programmes/hiv-aids-tb-programme.html (accessed November 12, 2015).
- 66.
Juliano Mer-Khamis and Danniel Danniel, Arna’s Children : A Film, Tel Aviv: Trabelsi Productions & First Hand Films, 2004.
- 67.
See, for example: Israeli Defense Forces, ‘Jenin: The Capital of Suicide Terrorists,’ circa April 19, 2002, http://www.idf.il/english/news/jenin.stm (accessed September 3, 2013).
- 68.
Jonatan Stanczak, interview with the author, June 1, 2015.
- 69.
Ibid.
- 70.
The Freedom Theatre, ‘The Freedom Jatha from Palestine to India and Back’ n.d., http://www.thefreedomtheatre.org/news/the-freedom-jatha-from-palestine-to-india-and-back (accessed November 12, 2015).
- 71.
This information is based on informal conversations I had with staff at the theatre during fieldwork in April 2013.
- 72.
Middle East News Watch, ‘Juliano Mer-Khamis Predicted His Own Murder by Palestinians,’ YouTube, April 7, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSPUxYMoKRs (accessed June 18, 2015).
- 73.
Daniel Breslau, ‘A Leftist has been Murdered: Attack the Left!,’ Kibush, April 13, 2011, http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=46076 (accessed June 18, 2015).
- 74.
Jonatan Stanczak, interview with the author, June 1, 2015.
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Varghese, G. (2020). Cultural Intifada, Beautiful Resistance. In: Palestinian Theatre in the West Bank. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30247-4_2
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