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Touring Israeli ballet company has no Palestinian dancers mondoweiss.net Ban’s report pleases Israel www.jpost.com Video: Theatre in the shadow of the Palestinian Nakba www.guardian.co.uk Palestinian politicians face tide of persecution in Israel feedproxy.google.com "A different kind of occupation": an interview with Elia Suleiman uruknet.info "A different kind of occupation": an interview with Elia Suleiman feedproxy.google.com I laughed and then it felt weird mondoweiss.net 6th Annual Israeli Apartheid Week in Toronto english.pnn.ps I Am Yusuf and This Is My Brother: english.pnn.ps Fayyad unveils sculpture series dedicated to Palestinian women www.maannews.net Making Contact www.jpost.com I Am Yusuf and This Is My Brother: A Palestinian story about Palestinians www.guardian.co.uk Accountability Now! A Symposium on Human Rights and International Justice www.alternativenews.org Accountability Now! A Symposium on Human Rights and International Justice www.alternativenews.org Record numbers crowd Bethlehem for New Year’s www.maannews.net ’Just the beginning of an all-out war’ www.maannews.net Confluence of holiday and protest set stage for high drama in Iran feeds.latimes.com Manger Square celebrations a party for all www.maannews.net POMEGRANATES AND MYRRH english.pnn.ps International Participation in December 31 Gaza Freedom March Tops 1,000 As Registration Closes english.pnn.ps Olive harvest concludes with festival, new report stopthewall.org Palestinian 'terrorist' takes aim at Sasha Baron Cohen www.haaretz.com Palestine theatre linked with Wales arts centre www.maannews.net Gaza Freedom March less than one month away palsolidarity.org Haifa theater hit with lawsuit for allowing smoking on stage www.haaretz.com [uruknet.info] WE HAVE ONLY GOD www.uruknet.info Standing up for Israel www.jpost.com Syrian soap superstars tour Gaza www.maannews.net Palestinian schools mark Children’s Day; Israel boycotts www.maannews.net Real Estate Shopping Is Used as Political Theater on Jerusalem’s Contested Ground www.nytimes.com Burin celebrates successful olive harvest, despite numerous settler attacks palsolidarity.org Real Estate Shopping Is Used as Political Theater on Jerusalem’s Contested Ground www.nytimes.com Real Estate Shopping Is Used as Political Theater on Jerusalem’s Contested Ground www.nytimes.com London Christmas concert to highlight 'plight of the Holy Land' www.maannews.net Is Caryl Churchill’s play Seven Jewish Children antisemitic? Charlotte Higgins, The Guardian 2/18/2009 The fast-response, eight-minute play that Churchill has written for the Royal Court in London has provoked a furore - First of all – I should say that I heartily recommend that you go and see Churchill’s Seven Jewish Children yourself, if you can get to the Royal Court theatre in London. It’s free to get in, it’s only eight minutes long, and it’s on until 21 January. The play did not strike me as antisemitic and I do not now believe it to be antisemitic. The work contains seven short scenes marking seven moments in Israeli history from the Holocaust via the first intifada to the present day. In those scenes Israeli adults discuss how they will explain those moments to an absent child. Here’s an example of a few lines from the last section of the play. " Tell her she can’t watch the news / Tell her she can watch cartoons / Tell her she can stay up late and watch Friends. / Tell her they’re attacking with rockets / Don’t frighten her / Tell her only a few of us have been killed. . . [etc]". . . more.. e-mail Israeli comedy show satirises Gaza violence Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem, The Independent 1/10/2009 With nearly 800 Palestinians and 13 Israelis killed, four of the latter by so-called friendly fire, the Gaza war is no laughing matter, putting Israel’s most popular comedy show in a delicate position. Eretz Nehederet (Wonderful Country) -- the Israeli equivalent of the Daily Show -- has nonetheless been highlighting the lopsided fatality count of the war raging in the Gaza Strip. Last week’s episode featured a warmongering military correspondent, played by actor Tal Friedman, repeatedly breaking in to the newscasts with updates on the rising Palestinian death toll as if the war was a sports match. "It’s 500 for the visitors, four for the home team," the correpondent says. "The result is good but we can’t be complacent and we have to widen the lead. "A moment later he announces "a direct hit on a fashion studio, we are up to 501". more.. e-mail News in Brief - 1000 march against Gaza offensive in Tel Aviv Ha’aretz 12/28/2008 Some 1,000 people marched in Tel Aviv last night to protest the military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The demonstrators, including leftist and human rights activists, walked from the Cinematheque theater on Carlebach Street to the Defense Ministry. Police on horseback accompanied the protesters, one of whom became caught between a horse’s legs. The demonstrators argued that the operation in Gaza does not advance Israeli citizens’ security. "No one can tell us that a massacre against the people of Gaza is intended to protect the citizens of Sderot and Ashkelon," said Matan Kaminer, a student who participated in the procession. (Ofri Ilani) Labor and the new Meretz alignment announced yesterday they would be temporarily stopping their election campaigning due to the operation in Gaza. Yesterday afternoon, several hours after the offensive began, Labor announced that its leader, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, would stop his campaign activities. more.. e-mail Doctors worry about Gazans’ reliance on sedative painkiller The Associated Press, Ha’aretz 12/14/2008 The new drug overtaking the Gaza Strip doesn’t stimulate hallucinations or boost endurance at the dance club. It merely chills you out, which is exactly what many Gazans say they need. Ruled by Islamic hard-liners from Hamas and locked in by Israel and Egypt, Gazans can’t travel outside the strip, have few places to go for fun and are faced with a failing economy. Thus the boom in the popularity of tramadol, a painkiller known here by a common brand name, Tramal. Growing numbers of Gazans have begun using the drug over the past year and a half to take the edge off life in the impoverished seaside strip, pharmacists and residents say. This worries medical personnel, who say the drug can cause dependence. It is a prescription drug in many countries, and the Hamas-run Health Ministry has made efforts to control it, but without much success in a society where medicines available only by prescription elsewhere are often sold over the counter. more.. e-mail Clowns bring comic relief to streets of Beirut Middle East Online 12/9/2008 BEIRUT - Clowns and street performers danced in the rainy streets of Lebanon’s capital on Tuesday bringing holiday cheers to the traffic-jammed Hamra shopping district. Thirty performers from Germany, Italy, Morocco and Lebanon donned rainbow-coloured wigs and red plastic noses to put on a show, as frustrated drivers blasted their horns. Some clowns walked on stilts as others danced, juggled, blew balloons and took pictures with the crowd that gathered to watch the show under pouring rain in west Beirut. Tuesday’s performance, which fell on the second day of the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha and in the runup to Christmas, was the culmination of a week-long workshop in Beirut on street performances. "It is meant to introduce street performances and comic relief as a way to deal with tense situations and conflict," said Tonnie Selwood Choeiri, one of the organisers. more.. e-mail In Gaza coffee shops, men and women break strict taboos Amira Hass, Ha’aretz 11/21/2008 GAZA CITY - A womens association celebrating the end of a management course, combined with a party for the 20th anniversary of the Palestinian declaration of independence is no big deal in itself. In Gaza, however, the combination of these events last Saturday, at a beachfront event hall, was more than the sum of its parts. It was an overt display of mixing between men and women, both at the tables and on the dance floor. During the holy month of Ramadan, a number of parties with mixed participation and singing took place at this restaurant, spurning police pressure on the owners to put a stop to them. The womens association is headed by a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Many of the guests were members and supporters of the PFLP. The choice of this restaurant was a statement of their position, and a show of support for the owners. more.. e-mail Tel Aviv residents fear ultra-Orthodox invasion Eli Senyor, YNetNews 10/15/2008 Residents of Ramat Aviv neighborhood urge Mayor Ron Huldai to act on growing haredi presence there. Chabad representative says in response, ’My suggestion to people who complain is to come talk to us’ - Is Ramat Aviv becoming ultra-Orthodox? It depends who you ask. The Tel Aviv neighborhood’s veteran inhabitants have recently taken notice of a few incidents causing them to fear for their secular lives. One of the local movie theaters turned into a "kollel" (an institute for advanced studies of Talmud and rabbinic literature for Jewish men), a Histardrut (labor federation) clubhouse on Reading Street turned into a haredi kindergarten, and previously, a Jewish Agency building was transformed into a mikveh (ritual bath). Moreover, the Ramat Aviv mall is closed on Shabbat. For all the abovementioned reasons, the suburb’s inhabitants turned to Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai in a request to act on the subject. more.. e-mail ’Not a time for celebrations,’ says Acre mayor, as theater festival is cancelled Tzipi Shochat, Ha’aretz 10/12/2008 The city of Acre announced over the weekend its intention to cancel the Fringe Theater Festival that was scheduled to take place there over the Sukkot holiday. The decision came following unrest in the mixed Jewish-Arab city during the Yom Kippur holiday that saw 30 people arrested, and some 40 stores and 100 cars damaged. The riots erupted around midnight Wednesday, hours after the start of the holiday (when traffic comes to a standstill in Jewish areas) when an Arab resident drove his car through a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, allegedly playing loud music, in what Jewish residents called a deliberate provocation. "This is not a time for celebrations," Acre mayor Shimon Lankri said over the weekend. It remains unclear when the festival will be held, if at all. Playwrights and actors expressed their disappointment at the cancellation. more.. e-mail Rap music evokes feeling of national unity in Jenin Ali Samoudi, Palestine News Network 7/23/2008 more.. e-mail Maori tribes to reinforce Jewish people? Itamar Eichner, YNetNews 6/29/2008 Dozens of indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand discover Judaism, study Kabbalah; one even converts to Judaism - Is Israel about to welcome new immigrants belonging to New Zealand’s indigenous Polynesian people? Israel’s Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand Yuval Rotem paid an unusual visit this week to the Maori community, which has recently drawn closer to Judaism and Kabbalah. The ambassador and the embassy workers were welcomed by the community members in a Maori ceremony, which included dances, greetings in the local language, songs and the traditional "hongi" (greeting guests by pressing noses with them). The meeting was initiated by the deputy president of Auckland’s reform synagogue, a Maori man who converted to Judaism several years ago. His English name is Steve and his Hebrew name is Shimshon. more.. e-mail Going local Nehad Selaiha, Al-Ahram Weekly 6/26/2008 This year, I did not catch as much of the annual Modern Dance Theatre Festival as I would have liked to do. Out of the 15 performances which made up the festival, I watched only 9, and of those 2 I had already seen earlier this year. What follows therefore is not a thorough coverage or evaluation of this year’s edition, but rather a few impressions I thought I’d share with you. I missed the opening, but, fortunately, the same programme was repeated the following night. It consisted of a short speech by Walid Aouni, the founder of the festival, in which he dedicated this year’s edition to the name of the world-famous choreographer and dancer, Maurice Bejart, who died on 22 November last year. Before he settled in Cairo in the early 1990s, founding the first Arab modern dance theatre troupe at the Cairo Opera House, Aouni had worked as scenographer, set and costume designer with Bejart. more.. e-mail ’Modesty police’ patrols bridge ceremony Neta Sela, YNetNews 6/26/2008 Dancers scheduled to appear in opening ceremony of new Chords Bridge in Jerusalem undergo emergency wardrobe change after ultra-Orthodox elements deem original outfits immodest, threaten mass protest - A cover-up:The dancers hired to perform at Wednesday inauguration ceremony of Jerusalem’s new Chords Bridge had to undergo a last-minute wardrobe change, after ultra-Orthodox elements deemed their costume "too revealing," and threatened to stage a mass protest at the ceremony. Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski was reportedly under significant pressure to cancel the performance altogether, but eventually, a compromised was reached: The dancers were dressed in long outfits - complete with headdress - which rendered their figures unrecognizable. The performance was also cut from three segments to one. David’s Harp? Jerusalem undecided - bridge a blessing. . . more.. e-mail Palestinian Festival of Dance – and Debate Joshua Mitnick, MIFTAH 5/6/2008 more.. e-mail Is Art the Answer? Joharah Baker, MIFTAH 4/16/2008 more.. e-mail Ramallah dance festival resists crushing of culture Palestine News Network 3/23/2008 Ramallah / PNN -- The Ramallah Dance Festival is preparing for its third year with 14 groups and 140 artists. "We are expressing what remains of the surge in our life-force, as survivors, at time that the occupation would have us crushed. "We are defending ourselves against the violence we endure that would take away our culture and our civilization," Director Khalid Alian said Monday. The Ramallah festival of contemporary dance will run from 17 April through 5 May with the participation of European dance troupes, in addition to the Palestinians. Featured will be traditional works through hip-hop. The festival comes during the memorial of 60 years of Al Nakba, the Catastrophe, that marks the founding of the state of Israel. "This commemorates the plight of Palestine and reaffirms the steadfastness of the people who have remained on their land. " more.. e-mail Hundreds celebrate Purim at attacked J’lem yeshiva Ynet, YNetNews 3/21/2008 Religious Zionist members gather at Mercaz Harav rabbinical seminary to observe holiday mitzvahs ’despite the pain’ - Hundreds of members of the Religious Zionist Movement celebrated Purim under heavy security Saturday night at the Mercaz Harav rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem, which lost eight of its students in aterror attack carried out by a Palestinian resident of the capital two weeks ago. The celebrators, who arrived at the yeshiva in costume, danced in circles to hasidic renditions of traditional Purim songs. During the festivities a drunken student of the yeshiva turned to the officers on hand and asked that they "better protect the establishment in case of another terror attack". Another student said, "Despite the horrible attack and the ensuing pain, terrorists have not and will not prevent us from observing the holiday mitzvahs. more.. e-mail VIDEO - Muslim American uses ethnic humor to turn biases into laughter Haaretz Staff and Channel 10, Ha’aretz 3/16/2008 Haaretz. com/Channel 10 news roundup for March 16, 2008. Azhar Usman is one of many Muslim Americans who sprung up after September 11 whouse comedy to cope with stereotypes against their community. Usman’s stand up routine, which he has taken to over a dozen countries, takes some of our ugliest biases and uses them to turn fear into laughter. Usman, who is of Indian origin, grew up in Skokie, Illinois, a Chicago suburb with a sizeable Jewish populationAmerica (and Jews specifically for that matter) has a rich tradition of ethnic humor, and Usman has succeeded in making a living out of it. He is the co-founder of "Allah Made Me Funny ? The Official Muslim Comedy Tour. " more.. e-mail this link Straddling Cultures, Irreverently, in Life and Art Isabel Kershner, MIFTAH 1/8/2008 Being an Arab Israeli has always been a complex affair, at times almost a contradiction in terms. For Sayed Kashua, 32, an Israeli-born Arab journalist and author, it just got more complicated. His latest work, a prime-time situation comedy on Israel’s commercial Channel 2 television, deals with Israeli society’s prejudices and peccadilloes through the eyes of a Muslim Arab family that bears an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Kashua’s own. The series is popular with its mostly Jewish audience, which finds it irreverent and funny. But many among the 1. 4 million Palestinian citizens of Israel — 20 percent of the population — say it borders on insulting. The Arabic press reviews have been “deadly — the critics are attacking everything I’ve done,” Mr. Kashua said. “They say that I work at a Zionist newspaper” — he writes a satirical weekly column in the liberal Hebrew daily Haaretz — “and that I supply stereotypes for the Jews. ” The lavish praise by the Hebrew-language critics has not helped. more.. For Dutch educators, Islamophobia can be a teaching aid for Holocaust studies Cnaan Liphshiz, Ha’aretz 1/2/2008 When teaching Holocaust studies to Dutch Muslim teenagers in Amsterdam, Mustafa Daher says he first has to defuse his pupils’ own hostility toward Jews and Israel. "If I don’t capture their interest, then I have done nothing. So I use the rising Islamophobia to help them connect to the persecution of the Jews," the seasoned educator says. "For example, I tell them that when the Nazis suspected someone was Jewish, they would pull down his pants to see if he was circumcised. Then I remind my Muslim students they are also ’snipped. ’ So they, too, would’ve ended up in a concentration camp," says Daher. Judith Whitlau, who teaches groups about the Holocaust at the Dutch Theater in Amsterdam, says she has to contend with another analogy. "Some point to media reports from the occupied territories, and they want to know what exactly Israel itself is doing to internalize the Holocaust’s lessons as it preaches others should do. more.. Channel 10 to launch Israeli version of reality TV show ’Survivor’ Yael Walzer, TheMarker, Ha’aretz 12/12/2007 Channel 10 has invested more than $5 million in the first 40 episodes of "Survival," Israel-style. The television show’s launch is scheduled for this Saturday, after five weeks during which Channel 10 bombarded viewers with promotions that were just part of its public-relations blitz. The first show will be a double episode, competing against "Born to Dance" on Channel 2, broadcast by Keshet. Channel 2 is run by two production companies, Keshet and Reshet, which have divided the week between them. In January they exchange broadcast days, and Reshet will be the one facing off against "Survivor", which it plans to do with "Grease". Like the original American version of Survivor, the Israelis were "abandoned" on an isolated island. "Surviving isn’t just a sport and eating cockroaches," said producer Guy Hameiri. more.. The battle for Jerusalem Shahar Ilan, Ha’aretz 8/17/2007 On August 21, 1987, the leisure and arts section of the Jerusalem weekly Kol Ha’ir appeared on the paper’s front page. This was no accident. At the time, the most important events in the city were the pioneering movie screenings on Friday nights and the demonstrations supporting or opposing them. The Beit Agron theater was showing "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Body Heat," visitors to the Mapam Party’s Tzavta theater could catch a show of "A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy," and Beit Yitzhaki (also a Mapam facility) was screening "Irma la Douce." And what about the demonstrations? Activists from the city’s poorer neighborhoods were planning a protest across from the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) neighborhood of Mea She’arim. A Haredi group, meanwhile, intended to hold a demonstration in front of Beit Agron, while members. more.. Satmar rebbe to lay Jerusalem cornerstone Ha’aretz 8/13/2007 The grand rabbi of the Satmar Hassidim, Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, is slated to arrive in Israel tomorrow to lay the cornerstone of a new community housing project that will rise on the plot where Jerusalem’s Edison Cinema once stood. The Satmar Hassidim are known for their anti-Zionist stance, and the event is considered by them to be a major victory in their campaign to safeguard the sanctity of Jerusalem - free of lay symbols. The movie theater site, which is situated close to the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Mea Shearim and Geula, was the site for decades of violent clashes between Haredim and police. It was closed 15 years ago, and the plot was sold three years ago to the Satmar Hassidim. The Satmar community is the largest ultra-Orthodox community, which distinguishes itself from other Haredi groups... more.. Rabbis issue edict banning mixed shows Neta Sela, YNetNews 8/3/2007 Edict bans religious men and women from attending theaters together even if seated separately - Rabbis issued an edict on Wednesday barring men and women from attending mixed theaters even though most facilities have segregated entrances and seating. The edict took effect as early as Thursday when a concert in honor of 82-year-old cantor Ben-Zion Shenker at the Wohl Center in Ramat Gan was canceled. Organizer David Zaira told Ynet that he had planned to sell over 200 tickets for religious women for whom a separate section was designated. The edict drove Zaira, after consultations with rabbis and other organizers, to cancel the show for fear that making it a men-only event would insult religious women. Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amr backed the edict, saying that although men and women were seated separately, there was a danger that they mixed outside theaters. more.. Hebron’s burning Zipi Shochat, Ha’aretz 6/21/2007 more.. The lighter side of the Axis of Evil Electronic Intifada 3/8/2007 Since the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, D. C. , Middle Easterners have found themselves under the microscope, especially in the US, and our polarized world is being misdiagnosed as a "clash of civilizations." Thankfully, standup comedians Dean Obeidallah, Ahmed Ahmed, Aron Kader, and Maz Jobrani are here to skewer it all in the must-see Axis of Evil Comedy Special, which airs in the US on Comedy Central this Saturday. Comprised of American performers of Middle Eastern descent, the Axis of Evil Comedy Show is an ongoing tour that began in 2005 and has been greeted across the US with critical acclaim. An obvious target of the comedians’ razor-sharp wit is US President Bush. Obeidallah, who boasts Palestinian and Italian heritage, jokes of Bush, "Herpes has a higher approval rating than President Bush right now." more.. Artist of the Month: George Ibrahim This Week in Palestine 2/7/2007 36 years of work in the Palestinian theatre -- Born in Ramleh in 1945, George Ibrahim is an artist who works in the theatre with great gusto. Irrespective of what some may say, everyone agrees that he has played - and continues to play - a significant role in the development of the Palestinian theatre movement. Ibrahim is well known as one of Palestine’s pioneer artists. In 1967 he founded his first theatrical group, the Dramatic Arts Group, in Jerusalem. He acted as general director and artistic director of the group from 1970 to 1986. In 1986 he founded Al-Kasaba Theatre in Jerusalem. Due to his great concern and involvement in the theatre movement, Ibrahim was the first artist elected as the president of the Palestinian Actors’ League from 1989 to 1993, and from 1999 to 2005. more.. Sderot: Bubble wrap vs. Qassams YNetNews 12/4/2006 Jerusalem art students wrap Sderot home in sheets of bubble wrap in protest of delay to fortification project. Townsfolk amused but skeptical it will bring change -- The plight of Sderot’s residents struck a chord with students from the Jerusalem Visual Theater School who decided to opt for an ironic display of protest in their effort to convey frustration with the state’s continuous foot-dragging over the residential fortification project. The students decided to go ahead and fortify a home in Qassam-struck Sderot by themselves. With bubble wrap. The students call it a social-art project, but Merav Svirsky, who used to live in nearby (and often Qassam target) kibbutz Be’eri said that the group has no political pretensions. more.. Plays on Palestine sought for new Nibras theater project Electronic Intifada/Nibras 11/24/2006 NIBRAS Arab American Theater Collective is preparing for an event at the New York Theatre Workshop featuring plays and playwrights focusing on Palestine. The upcoming event will consist of several days of readings of theatrical pieces from or about Palestine in addition to panels and discussions relating to the work. We seek: 1. Plays of any length written by playwrights of Palestinian origin on any subject. 2. Plays of any length written by non-Palestinians on subjects relating to Palestine. Deadline is January 15, 2007. Please send your play via email to rkazkaz@aol. com. Hard copy submissions should be sent to: 41 E. 2nd Street, 3rd Floor Brooklyn, NY 11218 -- Nibras means lantern in classical Arabic. Over time the word has also come to represent truth, enlightenment, inspiration, civilization, wisdom and justice. -- See also: Nibras more.. "My Name is Rachel Corrie" playing now in New York City Electronic Intifada/Minetta Lane Theater 11/5/2006 Iam pleased to announce the Off-Broadway premier of My Name is Rachel Corrie at the Minetta Lane Theater in Greenwich Village. As witnessed earlier this year through the swell of controversy surrounding the production, My Name is Rachel Corrie is a truly unprecedented theatrical event and a rare opportunity to experience Rachel’s personal courage through her own words. And for those of us who are committed to a just and peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, this play is a must see. Supporting truthful representations of the Palestinian reality in the US will open the door to more of these emerging projects which will broaden the discussion and strengthen the "conventional wisdom" push for a lasting resolution. Please lend your voices of support by attending this limited run! more.. Politics and dance in the Middle East: bitter enemies or natural allies? Daily Star 11/6/2006 NEW YORK: Whether or not choreographer William Forsythe’s recent statement that his latest dance piece, entitled "Three Atmospheric Studies," is "the most powerful assessment of the war in Iraq" is accurate or not remains to be seen. Forsythe claims to have been misquoted. While his piece doesn’t overtly reference the war in Iraq, it does include an aerial bombardment, a reading in Arabic and several other clues that leave little doubt as to its topos. At the very least, "Studies" highlights a perennial debate about the limits of dance’s engagement with politics and everyday life. Can dance do politics? What are the intersections between the two? Do politics play a more important role in a region as torn by conflict as the Middle East? more.. Record numbers crowd Bethlehem for New Year’s www.maannews.net
Free Speech and Israel By Robert Fisk, Palestine Chronicle/The Independent 3/13/2006 So what was I supposed to do when I received the following letter from ex-Brig. Gen. Patrick Purcell of the Irish Army? You’ve got to fight. It’s the only conclusion I can draw as I see the renewed erosion of our freedom to discuss the Middle East. The most recent example — and the most shameful — is the cowardly decision of the New York Theater Workshop to cancel the Royal Court’s splendid production of “My Name Is Rachel Corrie”. It’s the story — in her own words and e-mails — of the brave young American woman who traveled to Gaza to protect innocent Palestinians and who stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer in an attempt to prevent the driver from destroying a Palestinian home. The bulldozer drove over her and then reversed and crushed her a second time. An American heroine, Rachel earned no brownie points from the Bush administration which bangs on about courage and freedom from oppression every few minutes. Rachel’s was the wrong sort of courage and she was defending the freedom of the wrong people. But when I read that James Nicola, the New York Theater Workshop’s “artistic director” — his title really should be in quotation marks — had decided to “postpone” the play “indefinitely” because “in our pre-production planning and our talking around and listening in our communities (sic) in New York, what we heard was that after Ariel Sharon’s illness and the election of Hamas. ... we had a very edgy situation”, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So let’s confront this tomfoolery. Down in Australia, my old mate Antony Loewenstein, a journalist and academic, is having an equally vile time. He has completed a critical book on the Israel/Palestine conflict for Melbourne University Publishing and Jewish communities in Australia are trying to have it censored out of existence before it appears in August. more..
Dangerous Ideas, Sinister Forces By Andrew Ford Lyons, Palestine Chronicle 3/10/2006 We talked with Rickman and Dodds about plans to bring the play to the US. He was cautiously optimistic, but said it would be rough going to find the play a home in New York. How quickly we backslide: In June of 1937 the federal government slapped chains and a padlock onto the doors of Maxine Elliot Theatre in New York. It was an attempt to halt a performance of "The Cradle Will Rock," a Marc Blizstein musical the feds found far too full of dangerous ideas for public consumption. The show's director, Orson Welles, rushed back from Washington, D.C., on opening day after a failed attempt to convince the government to lift its ban. He found about 600 people waiting to see the performance idling in front of the theater, along with his cast. Welles got on the phone that day and eventually led the throngs of theater goers and his cast through the city's streets to the Venice Theatre where, due to fear of reprisals and potential loss of work, the performers belted out their songs and spoke their lines while staying scattered amongst the audience under dimmed lights. Blizstein was the only one to take the stage that night to provide piano accompaniment. Times change: it's 2006. I scrutinize airline prices between Priceline, Expedia and JetBlue. I use online pull-down menus to dither between low-calorie, vegetarian and kosher in-flight meal options. Things stay the same: I head to New York in support of a play that — due to the weight of its content, not the merit of its art — suddenly lacks a home. more..
Taking expression into uncharted territory Daily Star 3/7/2006 Tunisian play stresses impossibility of communication in an environment riddled with tradition, religion, censorship -- BEIRUT: What is the function of theater with respect to religion, culture, politics and society? Is it only to distract and entertain the public? Or is it to expose and change politics and society? With a heated discussion over the present state of Tunisian theater, Tunisian actor, playwright and director Taoufik Jebali begins his latest production, "Ici Tunis" ("Here in Tunis"), which takes its title from the sentence usually used to begin radio programs and news broadcasts in Tunisia. more..
Activism Call: Why are people afraid of Rachel Corrie's words? By Ann Petter and Jen Marlowe, Electronic Intifada 3/2/2006 AND HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE THEY ARE HEARD EVEN MORE WIDELY? The Background: The play My Name is Rachel Corrie was scheduled to open in New York on March 22nd. It has been "postponed indefinitely". In a New York Times article on February 28, James C. Nicola, the artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) which was hosting the play, said he decided to postpone the show after polling local Jewish religious and community leaders as to their feelings about the work. In the Guardian, the play's director Alan Rickman denounced the decision as "censorship", stating "Rachel Corrie lived in nobody's pocket but her own. Whether one is sympathetic with her or not, her voice is like a clarion in the fog and should be heard." James Nicola stated "I don't think we were worried about the audience, I think we were more worried that those who had never encountered her writing, never encountered the piece, would be using this as an opportunity to position their arguments." more..
Rickman slams 'censorship' of play about US Gaza activist The Guardian 2/28/2006 A New York theatre company has put off plans to stage a play about an American activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza because of the current "political climate" - a decision the play's British director, Alan Rickman, denounced yesterday as "censorship". James Nicola, the artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop, said it had never formally announced it would be staging the play, My Name is Rachel Corrie, but it had been considering staging it in March. "In our pre-production planning and our talking around and listening in our communities in New York, what we heard was that after Ariel Sharon's illness and the election of Hamas, we had a very edgy situation," Mr Nicola said. more..
Rickman & Rachel Juggle Three Wins International Solidarity Movement 2/7/2006 From What’s on Stage News -- My Name Is Rachel Corrie was the biggest straight play winner in this year’s Theatregoers’ Choice Awards, triumphing in three categories: Best New Play, Best Solo Performance and Best Director (See News, 31Jan 2006). Alan Rickman, Megan Dodds and Katharine Viner - the trio behind Rachel Corrie - reunited at the Royal Court, where the play premiered in April 2005, to collect their trophies. Why did a 23-year-old woman leave her comfortable American life to stand between a bulldozer and a Palestinian home? My Name Is Rachel Corrie recounts the real story of “the short life and sudden death of Rachel Corrie, and the words she left behind. ” more..
Arab Americans launch comedy intifada By Linda Isam Haddad and Lina, AlJazeera 2/5/2006 The threat level in the US went from yellow to funny when thousands packed Los Angeles theatre clubs to attend an Arab-American comedy festival last week. Dean Obeidallah co-founder and co-executive producer of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival (NYAACF), a vehicle for Arab-American comedic talent, said: "It's an uprising - it's our intifada, comedy style. "Debuting in 2003 to sold-out New York audiences, the NYAACF has served as a medium to combat negative mainstream stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims which existed after the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US. more..
Photostory: Bethlehem prepares for Christmas 12/21/2005 A Palestinian man decorates the Christmas tree in front of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem December 14, 2005.... Palestinian children from the Open Window School in Bethlehem staging a theater play about opening the wall, under the watchful eyes of Israeli border police, near the main checkpoint in Bethlehem December 2, 2005. After more than five years of violent conflict, the barrier separating Bethlehem from Jerusalem has been completed more..
Spielberg Flick Panned by Israel, Pundits 12/16/2005 Less than two weeks before its high-profile holiday debut, Steven Spielberg's new film is being criticized by Israeli officials and American Jewish commentators for its portrayal of Israel's response to the murder of 11 of its athletes at the 1972 Olympics. "Munich," which is slated to open in American theaters December 23, attempts to depict the Israeli response to the tragedy that unfolded in Munich, Germany, when 11 Israeli Olympians were taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists and then killed in a botched rescue-attempt by German authorities. The movie traces the quest of five members of Israel's Mossad spy agency to hunt down and assassinate Palestinians involved in the attack. more..
Iraqi theatre still 'Waiting for Godot' 12/1/2005 Theater revival offers glimmer of hope in Iraq despite bleak life in war-torn country. -- The rooms of the National Theater in central Baghdad are filled -- unfortunately not with spectators -- but with actors, playwrights and intellectuals desperate to keep alive the country's tradition of theater. Like so much of Baghdad, the building was gutted by looters in the aftermath of the 2003 US invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein. But, as one of the few cultural institutions to have been renovated, it now provides a haven for artists. more..
Palestinian Folklore at UN in New York on International Day of Solidarity 11/28/2005 NEW YORK, November 28, 2005, (WAFA)- Palestinian traditional dance, and other arts, would be presented tomorrow, at the UN HQ, in New York, on November 29 to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Al-Funoun, Palestine's premiere dance troupe, will perform they will also perform in Washington DC, Dearborn and Detroit. The program will include its most acclaimed dances as well as several dances from its latest production, "Haifa, Beirut & Beyond," a contemporary Palestinian dance saga of love, exile and resistance, inspired by the poignant poetry of Mahmoud Darwish. more..
El-Funoun: "Dancing Tragedies and Dreams" in USA 11/11/2005 NY CITY, November 11, 2005 (WAFA) - El-Funoun, Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe, will perform in New York, Washington, DC and Detroit on 3, December, 2005. The troupe said in a press release that the program will include their most acclaimed repertoire as well as several dances from their latest production, "Haifa, Beirut & Beyond," a contemporary Palestinian dance saga of love, exile and resistance, inspired by the poignant poetry of Mahmoud Darwish. more..
Ibdaa: Dancing the Spirit of Palestine (with photos) 11/10/2005 The Ibdaa dance troupe's tour of the United States has begun. The troupe is made up of ten boys and ten girls from the Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank, who perform Palestinian folkloric (debke) dance and theatre. The young performers are the third generation of dancers that Ibdaa has produced. The first stop of the tour, which raises money for Dheisheh refugees, was the University of Massachusetts-Amherst campus, where the audience of nearly two hundred Palestinians, other Arabs, community activists, and curious students eagerly awaited the new generation's first performance in America. During the show, a boy in red garb stood at the head of the stage with his arms raised, proudly waving a Palestinian flag. Behind him stood boys dressed in green and gold, next to girls in purple and gold. The children, serious-faced, stared intothe audience. . . and then flashed the sign of peace. The troupe's performance "depicts the history and aspirations of Palestinian refugees. " Participation in the Ibdaa dance troupe provides the children with much-needed exposure to the wider world and an opportunity to express theircourage and humanity through dance and theatre. These young performers not only dance, but involve themselves in production, choreography, sound design, and public speaking. [for Adobe Acrobat version of this beautiful article, click here. ] more..
Dancing With Perseverance 11/2/2005 A few nights ago I watched Palestinian folkloric dance and theatre performed by the Ibdaa dance troupe. The group is the third generation of dancers, consisting of ten boys and ten girls from the Dheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank. The troupe performed at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst campus, the first stop in a countrywide tour to raise money for the Dheisheh refugee camp. The audience of nearly 200 Palestinians, Arabs, community activists, and curious students eagerly awaited the new generation’s first folkloric (debke) performance in the US. During the show a Palestinian boy in red garb stood at the head of the stage with his arms raised, proudly waving a Palestinian flag. Boys dressed in green and gold adjacent to girls in purple and gold stood behind him. The children stared into the audience serious-faced, flashing the sign of peace. The troupe’s performance “depicts the history and aspirations of Palestinian refugees,” and provides the children much needed exposure and an opportunity to express their humanity and courageousness through dance and theatre. These young performers not only dance, but involve themselves in production, choreography, sound, and public speaking. more..
"Acts For Palestine" in New York Theaters WAFA 10/13/2005 NEW YORK, October 13, 2005 (WAFA)- Al Jisser Group, The Kazbah Project, and Nibras Theatre Collective will present, in New York City, "Acts or Palestine", an evening of one-act plays set in Palestine and written by Palestinian playwrights. The plays will be shown on Sunday, & Monday, October 16 & 17. "Acts for Palestine is an evening of one-act plays set in Palestine, written by Palestinian playwrights. These performances, organized to benefit Al Jisser's "Made in Palestine " art exhibition, will bring audiences the opportunity to experience Palestinian theatre - humorous, exhilarating, and thought-provoking", read a press release by Al Jisser Group. more..
Mixed reception for Palestinian film BBC 6/22/2003 The award winning film The Olive Harvest by California-based Palestinian film director Hanna Elias has received a mixed reception at a screening in the West Bank where the love story is set. The town of Ramallah may be best known for the ruined headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. But despite all the fighting and deprivations of recent years, Ramallah is the only Palestinian town to boast a modern 300-seat wide-screen cinema and theatre. more..
Four one-act plays by Palestinian playwrights to support art exhibition Electronic Intifada 9/27/2005 The rarely heard voices of Palestinian playwrights come to New York City on October 16-17 for a unique and important theatrical benefit, Acts for Palestine, to support a visual art exhibition entitled Made in Palestine. Tragedy, seeping into daily life, fuels the Palestinian playwright at home and in exile. Cultural poignancy, the beloved ancient soil of literary tradition, and revolutionary hope combine to create literary expressions that grip the viewer as much as the playwright. Made in Palestine is an exhibition of the contemporary art of Palestine, featuring 23 Palestinian artists, curated by James Harithas of the Station Museum. The show has been rejected by over 90 museums since its initial opening in Houston because it is Palestinian and therefore labeled controversial. However, a group of dedicated individuals, Al Jisser Group, insist that New Yorkers must have the opportunity to see the exhibition and have been conducting an energetic grassroots fundraising campaign to make this exhibition a reality in New York City in Spring 2006. Actors, directors, playwrights, and producers have joined forces to create Acts for Palestine. The Kazbah Project and Nibras Arab American Theater Collective are collaborating with Al-Jisser Group to present to audiences four one-act plays by Palestinian playwrights selected after an open call. They reflect the vibrant creativity of Palestinian theater, in Palestine and in exile. All four plays will be performed at each of the four performances of Acts for Palestine. See also: VTJP hosts "Made in Palestine" more..
Video: Al-Rowwad theatre group visits Louisville, KY Electronic Intifada 8/11/2005 Al-Rowwad Center is an Independent Center for artistic, cultural, and theatre training for children in Aida Camp trying to provide a "safe" and healthy environment to help children creativity and discharge of stress in the war conditions they are forced to live in. In July 2005, Al-Rowwad's theatre group performed in Louisville, Kentucky. Multimedia producers Patrick Yen and Andrew Sturgill produced the profile on Al-Rowwad for EI. # WATCH THE BROADBAND VIDEO PRESENTATION (Cable & DSL) # VISIT AL-ROWWAD'S WEBSITE more..
"My Brother Arafat" Pours Tears in Gaza WAFA 8/11/2005 GAZA, August 11, 2005, (WAFA)- As soon after the film ended and the lights of the Red Crescent Theatre in Gaza turned on. I turned my face to see that tears filled the eyes of the viewers. "I could not stop my tears, I remembered President Arafat and felt he is still a live," Ibrahim Kahadra 24, said after watching "Arafat My Brother", directed by Rashid al-Masharwi, on Tuesday night. Khadra said that he cried several times during watching the "impressive which revives warm moments in his memories. " "As the film produces several questions what would happen after Arafat, we also ask about what happened to our President", he added. more..
Theater thrives in Gaza, despite restrictions By Amelia Thomas, Christian Science Monitor 7/21/2005 GAZA CITY – A war zone is hardly a fertile place for nourishing theater companies and filmmaking ventures. Throughout occupied Gaza and the West Bank, a severe lack of funds, combined with heavy travel restrictions, has had a dampening effect on the output of Palestinian arts groups. Extreme poverty prevents potential audiences from paying to attend theater performances, which in turn has forced the closure of many small troupes. Existing film and theater groups struggle daily to survive. Despite the many frustrations, however, the Palestinian theater and film scene is remarkably vibrant; this summer even saw successful film and theater festivals held in both Ramallah and the Gaza strip. "There are no properly equipped theaters in Gaza, and very little Palestinian Authority funding," laments Sami Abu Salem, founder of the first Gaza Theater Festival, which played to full houses in makeshift venues last month. more..
Performances by Palestinian Refugee Children in US Successful WAFA 6/30/2005 HARTFORED, June 30, 2005, (WAFA)- Al-Rowwad Palestinian Children's Theatre (from Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem) has continued its performances and show at Falls Village and in Hartfored in USA. Al-Rowwad said that the visit and theater performances by the Palestinian Refugee Children in the US were great, inspiring, and highly successful. "In CT, nearly one hundred attended the performance, over a thousand at Grove Festival, and over 250 at the Sunday performance in Hartfored", it said. Al-Rowwad Children's Theater is a unique project that supports and emphasizes the creativity of Palestinian refugee youth. It is a home for the cultural, artistic and theatrical training of children and youth. more..
Balata Camp Projects in UK and Ireland WAFA 6/28/2005 LONDON, June 28, 2005, (WAFA)- Plenty of cultural and art activities from Balata Refugee Camp will take place in the UK and Ireland this summer: - "Aedoon" (returnees) Youth Drama & Dance Tour (London event still needed) From July 29 until August 28, the "A'edoon" youth production will be touring Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. The 80 minutes performance consists of a play based on the refugee experience and struggle for self-worth, interspersed with lively 'debka", a traditional Palestinian dance. All of the children participating in this troupe are from Balata Refugee Camp and will be leaving Palestine for the first time for this tour. The busy tour consists of over 20 performances, including events at the Edinburgh Fringe and Feile festivals.... more..
Festival Organisers Unearth Gaza Taste For Theatre Scoop 5/30/2005 While most people living in Gaza Strip were keen on following the latest developments of the Israeli withdrawal, Palestinian reforms or even the political situation in general, a group of Gazans was keen on following up a different issue. With charts and diagrams scribbled across the little room allotted to them within the Palestinian General Union of Cultural Centers, the organizing committee of Gaza’s first theatre festival struggled to meet its deadline in June 16. Jamal Abul Qomsan, the committee’s chairperson, admitted the task was not an easy one. Beside the uncertainty of how would such a festival appeal to the Gazan conservative community, the frequent Israeli closures and siege of the Strip stand as a huge obstacle before the guest performers. more..
An evening of improvised musical dialogues between bombings Daily Star 6/3/2005 Masrah al-Madina finally gets its jazz anointing, thanks to McLean and Rouhana -- BEIRUT: It was three-times cursed, but Rene McLean's reeds and Charbel Rouhana's strings finally had a chance to chat. Wednesday's show at the Masrah al-Madina was a pleasant affair that ended a bit abruptly, but then, leaving the audience wanting more is part of performance. Several months ago Al-Madina's manager Nidal Ashkar announced that the McLean-Rouhana concert would inaugurate the grand re-opening of the theater in March. Then in February, former Premier Rafik al-Hariri was assassinated and Beirut's cultural life was first put on hold, then pressed into the service of the politics of the Independence Uprising. more..
Gay Pride Parade draws hundreds YNetNews 5/20/2005 Event kicks off Gay Pride Festival held in Eilat; celebrations include Eurovision Song Contest party, performances by country’s top drag entertainers -- EILAT - Some 1,000 people participated Friday in the Gay Pride Parade in Eilat only a few days after the cancellation of the International Gay Pride Parade, which was scheduled to take place in Jerusalem. The colorful event was part of the Gay Pride Festival, which is being held for the fourth consecutive year. Dancers and drag queens in lavish costumes and multi-colored decorations added to the event’s festive quality. more..
"The Door of the Sun" Opens a Door of Dialogue in Gaza WAFA 5/18/2005 GAZA, May 18, 2005, (WAFA)- In the 57th anniversary of Nakba, the chairs of Red Crescent Theatre, were packed, with hundreds of spectators to watch the "Bab Al-Shams" (The Door of the Sun) film, directed by the Egyptian Yusri Nasrallah. Officials, elderly, youth and teenagers were so enthusiastic to make interposition in the discussion followed the screening of the film. Dozens of various opinions were presented by audiences who were so impassioned after watching the film as it touched the sense of the elderly who remembered their villages they were expelled from or of the youth who are still adhere to the right of return based on the 194 UN resolution of 1949. more..
Diary of an American martyr inspires a young audience in theatre's hit play The Guardian 4/24/2005 She was the young American with blond hair whose death became an unlikely but powerful political symbol for the troubles of Palestine. Now Rachel Corrie, crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in the Gaza Strip two years ago, has caught the imagination of a fresh audience as her life story emerges as one of the most sought-after theatre tickets in the country. The Royal Court in London announced yesterday that My Name is Rachel Corrie had become one the fastest sell-outs in its 50-year history. Tickets for the play's 24 performances sold out in less than two days, the majority of them bought by one of the youngest audiences the theatre can recall. more..
Let's paint the separation fence! Ha'aretz 5/17/2005 "Abu Yo" is the nickname given to Japanese director Noboru Tsubaki by members of the Al-Kasaba Theater in Ramallah, after his son Yo, according to common Arab practice. What is uncommon about Tsubaki is the great effort that the well-known Japanese artist made to get to Ramallah. He came to direct, and especially to build the set for "The Wall - Stories Under Occupation 2" with George Ibrahim, who founded the theater in 1970. The play is about the structure called the "separation fence" or the "security fence" by Israelis, and the "wall," the "racist wall" or the "apartheid wall" by Palestinians. The play is a reinterpretation of a play previously produced at Al-Kasaba, "Stories under Occupation," although it's essentially a new production. more..
Film review: "The Eternal Dance" By Jenny Gheith, Electronic Intifada 5/2/2005 The Eternal Dance (2003), the second film directed by noted Palestinian actress Hiam Abbas (Satin Rouge, Door to the Sun), is the beautifully poetic story of coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. Just shy of thirty minutes, each short scene commands heartfelt performances that tenderly reveal the emotion that death leaves in its wake. While on the surface the plot is simple, The Eternal Dance reveals itself to be much more. more..
London plays engender both solidarity and controversy Daily Star 4/28/2005 'My Name is Rachel Corrie' inspires youth, 'Twilight of the Gods' provokes debate and Palestinian writer Samir al-Youssef wins prestigious award -- BEIRUT: Last week The Daily Star published a story about a new play in London based on the writings of the young American activist and member of the International Solidarity Movement, Rachel Corrie. She was tragically run over and killed by an Israeli bulldozer two years ago while protesting the destruction of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip. In the time since we previewed "My Name is Rachel Corrie," the Royal Court where the play is showing announced that it sold out all tickets for the 24-performance run in less than two days - a record time in the theater's 50-year history. more..
Gaza activist's life becomes play BBC 4/18/2005 What would induce a young woman to leave her small American town to fight for the rights of a group of people she hardly knew? In My Name is Rachel Corrie - the story of the life, and death, of a 23-year-old peace activist in Gaza - we find out. On 16 March 2003, Corrie's life came to an abrupt end when she was crushed by an Israeli Army bulldozer while trying to stop the demolition of a Palestinian building in the Rafah refugee camp. She left behind a series of diaries, written from when she was 12 right up to her life as a student activist, as well as emails from her time in Gaza. It is these that form the basis of the play, which is directed by Alan Rickman and currently being staged at London's Royal Court theatre. more..
New London play fetes U.S. activist killed trying to stop an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza Daily Star 4/21/2005 Political theater is enjoying a resurgence in popularity -- LONDON: A new play tracing the journey of Rachel Corrie from comfortable American home to death in a Gaza refugee camp paints the young peace activist as neither a traitor nor a saint. The 23-year-old campaigner was killed in 2003 trying to stop an Israeli Army bulldozer from demolishing a Palestinian home in the Rafah camp in the Gaza strip. A personal testimony, the show makes no pretence of impartiality. Corrie's death made her a hero of the four-year-old Palestinian uprising, while critics attacked her as naive, an idiot and a traitor. But far from being a political rant, "My Name is Rachel Corrie," directed by British actor Alan Rickman, paints a personal portrait, using Corrie's emails and diaries to reveal a poetic writer brimming with ideas, energy and quirky humor. more..
Masrah al-Madina reopens in spirit of cheerful defiance Daily Star 4/2/2005 Audience sings along to patriotic tunes on opening night -- BEIRUT: It takes moxie to launch a theater space when your clientele are speculating about when the next bomb is going to explode, and where. Such concerns didn't abate on Wednesday evening, but neither did it keep hundreds of people from attending the gala re-opening of the Masrah al-Madina in Hamra Street's historic Cinema Saroulla. Though the opening night audience was dotted with foreigners, the event - timed to correspond to International Theater Day - has an intensely local, even homemade, ambience. more..
Two new comedies cut tension with humor Daily Star 4/1/2005 BEIRUT: "There is something very fascinating about this show," says veteran Lebanese actor Joseph Bou Nassar on his way out of Monnot Theater on Tuesday. "When I first arrived [in the theater], I was tormented by the country's critical situation and now I can't seem to remember the very first thing about it. My heart is light and I can't stop smiling," he said. Bou Nassar's opinion was one among many of those who attended the opening of "Btifrok ala Thania" ("It Changes in a Second") and "Machhad min al-Masrah" ("Scene from a Theater), two consecutive plays showing at the small Achrafieh theater. more..
Sufi or not Sufi? Was Shakespeare a Muslim? Daily Star 11/30/2004 A season of lectures and readings celebrates Islam Awareness Week at famous London theater -- LONDON: There's an old joke about William Shakespeare being an Arab - how else, it explains, can you account for the name, Sheikh Zubair. Certainly the playwright's preoccupation with despotic leaders, times of civil unrest and bloodshed fit in perfectly with the tempestuous nature of contemporary Arab politics. With 2004 marking the 400th Anniversary of the Bard's famous Moor, Othello, the Globe Theatre in London has organized an extensive season, titled simply "Shakespeare and Islam. " more..
Abu Ghraib abuses tapped to theatre AlJazeera 11/8/2004 As the trials and courts martial of US military personnel involved in the Abu Ghraib prison abuses get under way, the Arab world is finding new ways to grapple with the issue. Arab media pundits took to criticising the US for what they saw as its double standards - on the one hand espousing democractic principles and, on the other hand, allowing torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi prison inmates. Live television talk shows were flooded with callers from the Arab world who expressed their outrage and shock at the Abu Ghraib abuses. In Jordan, however, a theatre director decided to take the issue one step further. more..
Syrians revel in political theatre BBC 10/7/2004 Things have been changing in Syria since President Bashar al-Assad took over from his father four years ago. But as Jon Leyne finds, more freedom of speech does not guarantee you will like what you hear. The big hit on the Damascus theatre scene is a play called the Fall of Baghdad. It has been running for a year, and that is despite the fact that it lasts nearly four hours. When I went to see it, the stuffy underground theatre was packed, despite a late summer heat wave. The play is a lament about the state of the Arab world. more..
Egyptian students devote summer to put some color in Palestinian lives Daily Star 8/28/2004 Workshops focus on literature, theater - Activities in both Beddawi and Shatila camps boosted the children's creativity --SHATILA/BEDDAWI: Although political, economic and social pressures are suffocating the entirety of the Palestinian camps in Lebanon, the children of the camps are, as always, the hardest hit, often deprived of the simplest joys of their age. For the third year in a row though, an energetic band of Egyptian students is trying to do something about the situation by devoting a summer to putting some color and art in the lives of Palestinian children. more..
Making movies and trying to stay alive at the same time Daily Star 8/2/2004 UK's National Film Theatre holds Arab film season -- LONDON... Certainly the Arab world has had its fair share of warfare, terror and murder in the past 30 years, whether with the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, the civil wars in Lebanon and Algeria or the first and second Gulf Wars involving Iraq. But what the region has produced, particularly over the last 15 years, is a dazzlingly eclectic number of movies. more..
Room for optimism Al-Ahram Weekly on-line 8 - 14 January 2004 The idea of democratisation through theatre has an unmistakable whiff of sixties idealism. However, the Centre for the Theatre of the Oppressed (CTO), which traces its beginnings to Brazilian founder Augusto Boal's experiments with social theatre in the late 1960s, has thrived well beyond the lifespan of a youthful folly. It is steadily propagating its practices through five continents. Carrying its infectiously earnest mission to Egypt is Geo Britto, a member of Boal's core group, who was invited to conduct workshops in Cairo and Alexandria by actor/director Nora Amin, a former intern at the centre in Rio de Janeiro. more..
Lebanese history by way of Greek tragedy Daily Star 1/5/2004 Adapted from Euripides’ Medea, Jad al-Hage’s play Bint Asl fails to deliver on its initial promise -- There’s nothing subtle about Bint Asl (Girl from a good family) currently playing at the Monnot Theater. For fifty-odd minutes Darina al-Jundy trembles, cries, stomps, crawls and barks orders as memory after memory consumes her on stage. When it’s all over, and every morbid detail exposed, the spot light shines not on Jundy’s crouched figure, but on the bomb she has wrapped as a wedding present for her ex-husband. The message, then, is painfully obvious: the violence will continue. more..
Photo story: Dancing towards freedom Electronic Intifada 12/29/2003 Comprised of teenagers from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the West Bank, the Ibdaa dance troupe performs internationally, has been featured in documentaries, and are no strangers to the press. And while to some this may seem like a glamorous lifestyle, to the performers it's anything but. Having to repeatedly communicate to American audiences the every day struggles that come with life under military occupation is disheartening when they return to the West Bank to find that the status quo of curfews and human losses continues unabated while the whole world watches. more..
Review: Arna's Children By Arjan El Fassed, Electronic Intifada 12/11/2003 Speechless. Silent. I could not move. I just sat there, watching the screen, the scrolling text of dedication and the names of Arna's children: Youssef, Nidal, Ashraf, Ala, Zakaria and the others. Arna's children form a small theatre group of Palestinian children in Jenin refugee camp. The film begins with a shot of Arna, Juliano Mer's mother. She is bald, due to cancer, covered with a kaffiyeh, and is screaming at Palestinian cars that they can pass through a nearby Israeli military roadblock. Arna Mer comes from a Zionist family. In 1948 she served in the Palmach. She became a member of the Communist Party and married Saliba Khamis, a Palestinian from Nazareth. During the previous Intifada, Arna moves to Jenin and established an alternative education system for Palestinian children, after the schools were closed by the Israeli occupation. Through her dedication to the children, Arna Mer Khamis plays an important role in the Jenin community. The theatre group that she started engaged children from Jenin refugee camp, helping them to express their everyday frustrations, anger, bitterness and fear. Arna's son Juliano, director of this film, was also one of the directors of Jenin's theatre. All those years, from 1989 to 1996, Juliano used his camera to film the rehearsals and performances of the plays. Arna Mer Khamis was awarded for her work with the Right Livelihood Award, an alternative Nobel Prize from the Swedish parliament. With the $50,000 award she set up a small theater in the refugee camp. more..
Work of master calligrapher defies traditional approach Daily Star 11/11/2003 Veteran art critic’s compositions focuses more on esthetics than on meaning -- In his mid-length linen jacket, mesh beret, and round wire-rimmed glasses, Samir Sayegh cuts an emblematic figure of an old-school Beiruti intellectual deep pockets in the jacket for ponderous pacing, the beret arranged at an indifferent angle over about six creases of thought that cross his brow, and the slight tint to his glasses casting a translucent shade over eyes that dance through many levels of meaning as the artist discusses the works that were on view until late last month at the Agial Art Gallery in Hamra. more..
Five Characters in Search of a Leader Los Angeles Times 11/8/2003 In Gaza, a Palestinian play takes aim at corruption and public apathy. "It was daring," says a former minister. -- GAZA CITY — A man in a spacesuit preaches the virtues of robots. Frustrated characters argue while pushing blocks aimlessly around the checkerboard stage. A young woman belts out a song of hope and revolution as she waits for somebody who never shows up. This may not seem the most propitious time for a bit of experimental theater here in the violence-torn Gaza Strip, where missiles fall from the sky and bullets fly in the street. more..
Economy in brief - Palestine statistics Jerusalem Times 10/24/2003 Palestinians 9. 3 million worldwide in 2002: The Annual Statistical Book published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said total Palestinian population worldwide at the end of 2002 was 9. 3 million. It said 4. 7 million live in the Diaspora, 3. 6 million in the occupied Palestinian territories, that is the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, and one million live in Israel.... there are 2,764 schools and kindergartens in the occupied Palestinian areas and there are 27. 8 students for each teacher. The statistical book said literacy rate among Palestinians amounted to 91% for adults above 15 years of age distributed between 95. 7% males and 86. 4% females. The Palestinian areas also have 1705 mosques and 945 Quran teaching schools. They also have five museums, 50 cultural centers, four theaters and two movie theaters. In addition, there are 72 hospitals with 5000 beds. Infant mortality rate was put at 25. 5 per 1000 births, while the rate was 28. 7 for the period between 1995 and 1999. Life expectancy is 70. 6 years for males and 73. 7 years for females in 2002. more..
13th International puppet Festival in Jerusalem Palestine Monitor October 10 - 25, 200 The Palestinian National Theatre are very glad to inform for you our 13th International puppets Festival, that will take place at the theatre in Jerusalem, the festival will be between October 10 and last for 25th , many Puppets shows, street performances, workshops, children activities and many fun activities will be organized. more..
Palestinian-Born Playwright Offers Insight and Hope for the Peace in the Middle East Antiwar.com 10/9/2003 Salam, Shalom Opens in San Francisco -- In a tiny downstairs room in San Francisco, there is a play being performed that, in true theatrical (and San Franciscan) spirit, confronts not one but two hot-button socio-political issues facing the world community today. The somewhat ironically-named New Conservatory Theatre is already known nationally for the frank exploration of homosexual themes present in much of their work. With this new production of Salam, Shalom... A Tale of Passion, the theatre company takes on an entirely new explosive topic: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. more..
Remembrance of things past: Dance depicts role of women in war Daily Star 9/17/2003 Capital’s street festival stimulates and confuses in equal measure -- Two women in fluorescent pink dresses dancing around a turquoise baby carriage, doesn’t that look like a play about womanhood? When these women are tied with their sleeves to that same carriage, entangled in the sleeves of the other, isn’t that a clear image of the prison motherhood can be and perhaps how women put themselves into it?... If this takes place in Lebanon, though, it may be meant differently. Aida Sabra and Youmna Baalbaki, the two dancers and choreographers of the performance Wa Kaenno (As if it’s Like …) in Downtown Beirut on Monday night, wanted to make a statement about civil wars. more..
Dancing for Peace World Press Review 8/25/2003 The Ibdaa Dance Troupe -- Manar Faraj’s wail reverberates through the packed auditorium in New York, her shrill lament piercing the darkness. “Tell me the tale of our country,” she calls out in Arabic, her slight body trembling with the force of her voice. Standing in the shadow behind her, another young woman, Tamara Abulaban, sings along in a soft, sad echo. As members of the Ibdaa Dance Troupe, based in the Dheisheh refugee camp just outside Bethlehem, they have performed in dozens of European and U.S. cities, dancing and singing about their lives in a war zone. more..
It's natural that an Arab theater will close first Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 ...if unfortunately the theater should close, this will be the symbolic and resonant closing of one of the few cultural institutions that the Palestinian Arabs have in this country. Arab culture will be put behind lock and key, in every sense. -- About three weeks ago Makram Khoury, the director-general of Haifa's Arab Theater in Israel - Al-Midan, submitted his resignation. The reason: the mortal economic state of the theater for quite a few years now, which was expressed recently in the suspension of all the plays under production, the nonpayment of salaries to the actors and staff for more than two months and the disconnection of the electricity in the theater halls. For its part, the theater management is helpless and has called a general meeting for September 5, at which it also will submit its resignation. Throughout the years of its existence, Al-Midan has experienced many reversals but it succeeded in establishing its status - despite all the possible criticism of it, and there is indeed room for criticism - as one of the most important cultural symbols in the eyes of the Arab citizens of this country and in the eyes of others as well. Al-Midan has worked hard to instill theatrical activity among the Arabs of this country and has represented the Arab minority in Arab states and in Europe. It has also been a home for the new generation of theater people that has arisen in this country. more..
Dance Troupe From Israel Wraps Up Goodwill Tour of America Forward 8/22/2003 Shortly after their community was awarded permanent residency status in Israel, a dance troupe hailing from the country's controversial African Hebrew Israelite community completed its first "goodwill tour" of the United States at New York's National Black Theatre in Harlem. Members of the Spirit of David Dance Theatre — who toured through Atlanta, Washington, D. C. , and New York, in addition to several smaller cities — are African Hebrew Israelites, or Black Hebrews. They believe they are descendants of one of the lost tribes of Israel. The 2,500 members of the community, who are not Jews, are the offspring of 350 African Americans who moved to the southern Negev city of Dimona in 1969. They have been treated with some skepticism ever since, primarily due to their alleged ties to black radicals, including Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan. more..
Palestinian Youth Mobilize Against Human Rights Abuses in the West Bank Common Dreams/Madre 8/5/2003 NEW YORK - August 5 - On August 6, members of the Ibdaa Youth Dance Troupe will attend an all-day photography workshop, aimed at empowering Palestinian youth to document their life experiences in a refugee camp. Twenty Palestinian girls and boys, aged 15-18, will attend the training on the Lower East Side of New York. Since 1995, youth from the Ibdaa Cultural Center in Palestine have taken proactive measures to document and condemn human rights abuses. The photography workshop will further their cause, creating a positive space for the youth to learn skills, develop their creativity, and find constructive ways to channel their fears and frustrations into progressive demands for change. more..
"We Are the Children of the Camp": A Palestinian Song Islam Online 2003-07-06 "Her eyes and the tattoo on her hands are Palestinian, / Her name, Palestinian, / Her dreams and sorrow, Palestinian, / Her kerchief, her feet and body, Palestinian, / Her words and her silence, Palestinian, / Her voice, Palestinian, / Her birth and her death, Palestinian. " -- Those verses of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwich were the words Al-Rowwad Theatre Group used as an introduction to all their performances in Cairo last week. more..
Spotlight: ASHTAR for Theatre Productions and Training Palestine Monitor 2003-07-25 ASHTAR is a non-profit NGO that was established in 1991 in Jerusalem, to launch the first theatre-training program directed at school students... In 1995, it inaugurated its second base in Ramallah and prepared it for the service of its aims and programs. It has two halls, one set aside for training and the other for performances to an audience of up to 60 persons... more..
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