ABSTRACT
The present study explores the challenges of theatrical productions in the context of Gaza, in the aftermath of the events that occurred in October 2023. The Strip, once a significant cultural hub characterised by a thriving theatre scene, has suffered significant destruction, with 92% of its infrastructure devastated, including cultural centres and theatres. Notwithstanding the considerable challenges faced by the artists, including the imperative to satisfy fundamental needs, the constant threat to personal safety, and the risk of fatality – a significant number of artists were killed in the bombings – certain companies persisted in organising theatre workshops and performances in the tent cities, at least for as long as circumstances permitted. In this context of war, Palestinian theatre functions as a therapeutic and resistance action, while also serving as a form of testimony to a state of extreme existential precariousness. This is the case of Hossam Almadhoun (Ḥusām al-Madhūn), currently residing as a refugee in Cairo, who is an actor and author who, in 1997, founded the company Masraḥ li-l-Ǧamīʿ (Theatre for Everybody). Almadhoun, in collaboration with Az Theatre in London, initiated the 'Messages from Gaza Now' project, which entailed the collective listening to testimonies from the recent war. The communications disseminated during the aforementioned blackouts and mortar attacks, from October 2023 to the present, provide a detailed account of the ongoing siege of Gaza.
BIOGRAFIA
Monica Ruocco insegna Lingua e Letteratura Araba presso l’Università di Napoli L’Orientale. Ha scritto Fāṭimah Rušdī. Memorie. La Sarah Bernhardt d’Oriente e prima attrice del teatro arabo (Istituto per l’Oriente C.A Nallino/General Egyptian Book Organization, 2022), Esistenze: Voci delle drammaturgie arabe tra diaspora e rivoluzione (UniorPress, 2021), Storia del teatro arabo dalla nahḍa a oggi (Carocci, 2010), L’ultimo ricordo. Memorie siriane di Sa‘d Allah Wannus, (Jouvence, 2004). monica.ruocco@unior.it
Scarica l'articolo