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Ashtar Theatre Newsletter May 2015

Newsletter May 2015ASHTAR Theatre successfully completes The Fifth Edition of the Theatre of the Oppressed Festival with the performance “Women’s School” from Germany

The Festival’s activities were launched at the end of April under the title “Together for a Dignified Life”.

The activities took place between 30 April and 16 May 2015, and its performances reached different locations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, allowing more than 2,500 people to view the work.

ASHTAR’s Fifth International Theatre of The Oppressed Festival emphasizes the need to extend cultural bridges with the world, and asserts the importance of cultural dialogue that liberates us from discrimination, marginalization, and oppression through the gathering of international and Palestinian theatre makers.

This year’s Festival titled “Together for a Dignified Life” ASHTAR Theater hosted four European groups from Norway, Germany and Greece, in addition to four local plays. These plays tackle issues that concern women, workers, farmers, and marginalized youth groups. ASHTAR Theatre participated with three Forum Theatre plays; “Al Miya’ Wa Al Qurqa’” from Ramallah, “A Court” with a youth group from Jordan Valley, and “The Cage” from Gaza.

The groups from Normay, Germany, and Greece presented their plays in Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem.
The Festival included a workshop on “The Esthetics of the Theatre of the Oppressed” conducted by Barbara Santos from Brazil. Santos is an expert on Theatre of the Oppressed who has worked with the founder of this genre of theatre, Augusto Boal. Furthermore, a Joker’s Symposium was held under the title “The Role of the Jokers in Changing Political Situation,” and was moderated by the artist Bayan Shbib.

This year’s Festival was funded by the European Union, V-Day International, A. M. Qattan Foundation, and with the support from Emarazian, Al Nasher Group, and Al Masrouji Group.

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