Gaza: Young actors start up travelling rep theatre

Young actors enthral their audience

Source: Fides

A group of young people in Gaza has decided to take the only travelling rep theatre in Palestine to perform in orphanages, hospitals and day assistance centres, to help alleviate the psychological stress and trauma of children living in the Gaza Strip, suffering the stress of blockade, power cuts, shortages and conflict.

The group, known as the Palestinian Entertainment Theatre, comprises twelve young artists who volunteer to spend their time and even money to keep this, the only local itinerant theatre going. It was started up last year.

One of the younger audiences favourite pieces consists of a narrator, wearing a red Turkish turban, a Tarbush, a traditional Palestinian head scarf the kufiya, sits in the centre of a circle of children and tells adventure stories.

The stories deal with sensitive issues regarding the society in which the children live. The children are also given useful information such as never to touch the remains of Israeli missiles and to keep away from the border.

Enternainment and open communications like this rarely happen this impoverished enclave, so the arrival of the troupe is a very exciting event. According to the Palestine Central Statistics Office (PCBS) there are 14 theatres in Palestine, 11 in West Bank and three in Gaza, but none of these are travelling theatres.