News from
The Freedom Theatre August 2010
Despite temperatures over 100 degrees (40˚C), The Freedom Theatre has been bustling with activity this summer. Here’s a quick update of what we’ve been busy with:
The Freedom Theatre is expanding! With the support of Jenin Businessman Hisham Samoudi, The
Freedom Theatre is getting a new home in the heart of Jenin City. The New Theatre will have state of the art capabilities, the largest stage in Palestine, a back stage, workshop spaces, and new offices. We anticipate construction to be completed by the end of September and will debut the new space with a production of Alice in Wonderland this winter.
Be sure to check out this video of the new construction site: http://www.youtube.com/thefreedomtheatre#p/c/CBB245CA33BB41A9/0/-HXrG1bLdcg
The Acting School Students have been busy this summer as well. American Director (and Friends of The Freedom Theatre Board Member) Josh Perlstein directed an adaptation of Ghassan Kanafani’s Men in the Sun. The production opened to full audiences at the end of July. The students have taken a break for Ramadan but will resume performances—including a tour of Palestine—after Eid. The production was generously supported by the Qattan Foundation, Sida, ArtAction and UNFPA. On August 4th, more than 800 Jenin residents showed up at the construction site for the new theatre to take part in our first outdoor Hip Hop concert, produced by The Freedom Theatre’s Mohammed Mouwia. Palestinian hip hop group DAM headlined the show and was supported by British-Palestinian rapper Shadia Mansoor and Palestinian rapper Saz. For more than two hours Jenin residents danced and sang with the performers. To hear some of the music featured at the concert, visit the performers’ websites. DAM: http://www.dampalestine.com/ Shadia Mansoor: http://www.myspace.com/shadiamusic Saz: http://www.myspace.com/alsaz
In June, we hosted visitors from Germany as part of our two-year exchange project Mein Land Biladi. In addition to visiting Jenin and working with youth at The Freedom Theatre, the students toured Palestine and learned about the political situation and what life is like under occupation. To culminate their visit, the Palestinian and German students involved in the project gave a presentation on the construction site of the new theatre in Jenin. To learn more about MeinLand Biladi, visit the website: http://www.meinlandbiladi. org/biladi/
During the month of July, British photo-journalist John Perkins instructed three photography groups. The results were magnificent—John encouraged students to focus on the theme of home. He plans to present the photos at a photography exhibition in London next year. We’re hoping to display them at The Freedom Theatre too, sometime in the coming months. The Freedom Theatre has begun a two year project with renowned film director Udi Aloni. Udi has begun preproduction for a film based on the Greek tragedy Antigone, featuring Acting School students and including our multimedia staff in the production process. In addition to his work on the film, Udi is also working to revamp the multimedia center and improve our filmmaker’s techniques and capabilities. www.thefreedomtheatre.org
contact us: info@thefreedomtheatre.org