Theatrical Archive

The Sun Has Set

Shadow Puppet Theatre for Children
Ages: 2–7 years

One day, the sun decides not to rise and light up the world, leaving the moon alone in the sky. She feels tired and upset, because everyone is busy with themselves and no one thanks her.
The forest animals hold an emergency meeting, as living in darkness has become difficult. They decide to send the peacock, but he fails to convince the sun. The nightingale and the parrot try as well, but they also fail. The animals are left not knowing what to do or how to act.

From afar, they hear the rooster’s crow. He asks the forest animals to let him try to speak with the sun. At first, the sun refuses to talk to him—she does not want to shine anymore and wishes to remain asleep.
The rooster does not give up, because without the sun there is no life. With wisdom and cleverness, he convinces the sun to return and light up the world again, explaining that if she disappears, her light will vanish forever once she rises and everyone will forget her.

That is why, every day before morning breaks, we hear the rooster’s crow—reminding the sun to rise and shine, and waking us up as well, so we can begin our day with energy and vitality.

Written and Directed by: Hisham Suleiman
Performed by: Rana Zeitawi
Produced by: Teatro – Center for Creativity and Community Culture

The Play – The Decision

Family is a fundamental social structure and an essential framework in every person’s life. Each society has its own traditions and values that distinguish it from others. In Arab society, there are many differences related to the concept of family and to human and social values—differences that are explored through the events of this play.

Layla (18 years old) has just completed her high school education and is engaged to Issam (27 years old), who is several years older than her. After a year of engagement, Layla realizes that she made a mistake by agreeing to the marriage and tries in every possible way to stop it. Her decision ignites complex family dynamics and internal conflicts among all family members—a struggle that unfolds on multiple levels: political, social, economic, and beyond.

Music: Moeen Daniel
Set Design: Bambi Friedman
Lighting: Ori Morag
Costume Designer: Sabrine Hassoun Tafesh

Set Construction: Samir Hawa
Technical Direction: Qusai Malham

Written and Directed by: Hisham Suleiman
Cast: Ihab Elias Salameh, Sanaa Lahab, Yousef Shaqour, and Jiana Awad

Produced by: Teatro – Center for Creativity and Community Culture, Nazareth

Improvisational Theatre Performance – Playback

Playback Theatre is an improvisational theatre form based on stories shared by the audience. Each story or specific event that audience members choose to share with the performers is transformed within seconds into a theatrical scene and an artistic tableau on stage. The performance is vibrant and expressive, blending movement with live music that has a positive emotional impact, touches the heart, and stimulates thought for everyone who experiences it.
The performance is suitable for all generations and for anyone who has a story to tell.

The Main Stages of Playback Theatre:

• Story Gathering: The conductor invites the audience to share personal stories and life experiences. At times, general themes are suggested to encourage participation.

• Story Performance: Once a story is shared, the actors immediately begin performing it on stage, using a variety of tools such as movement, spoken word, music, and improvisation.

• Emotional Engagement: The reactions and emotions of both the audience and the storyteller are an essential part of the performance. The actors strive to understand the essence of the story and convey it in an artistic and impactful way.

• Purpose: The main goal of Playback Theatre is to create a sense of connection and empathy between the audience and the performers, while encouraging open and meaningful dialogue.

Commedia dell’Arte Theatre

The Commedia dell’Arte workshop and training session offers a unique opportunity to explore one of the most popular and influential forms of theatre in the world. During the workshop, participants will learn about the history of Commedia dell’Arte, its classic characters, and the structure of its dramatic plots.

Participants will also be introduced to the world of improvisation and movement, and will learn how to use body language and voice to convey emotions and meanings in the distinctive style of Commedia dell’Arte.

The Film “Ba‘ardi”

Ba‘ardi is an awareness-raising film that speaks directly to young people and sheds light on issues of violence and the exploitation of youth within the phenomenon of the black market, where quick money is promised as an alternative to education—turning young people into tools to serve others’ interests.

The film opens the door for discussion and offers space to explore solutions to such phenomena and the various situations it presents. It also tells the story of a young woman living under pressure from a young man who attempts to convince her that he loves her through luxury cars and money.

The film is part of a series of awareness films initiated by Jafra – Wajdi Ouda, in collaboration with several organizations. The series aims to harness visual media—an integral part of our daily lives—as a tool to expose and combat these negative phenomena within Arab society, and to help create a conscious and aware generation.

Familia 

A Short Comedy Play

A lavish dinner that Azmi and Nihad’s family has been waiting for for years…
A table with no beginning and no end, filled with the most delicious dishes.
Any moment now, the doorbell will ring, announcing the arrival of the long-awaited groom—a doctor—coming to meet the family for the very first time.

Their daughter Yasmin, the youngest in the family and the only one still unmarried, is a fourth-year medical student at Tel Aviv University. Today, she has finally found her prince charming—the doctor. Her parents, Azmi and Nihad, have been calling her “Dr. Yasmin” since she was a little girl, and their dream—and condition—was that their daughter would marry only a doctor, so they could proudly become “the doctor’s in-laws.” Thus, Yasmin grew up feeling obligated to marry a doctor.

That evening, the visitor arriving is Raed—or rather, Raed the construction worker. Because Yasmin’s heart didn’t fall in love with a doctor… it fell in love with a builder. Yasmin and Raed agree to play along to the very end, staging a performance for Azmi and Nihad and pretending that Raed is a doctor.

But that night, everything that could go wrong does go wrong. All secrets are exposed, all lies unravel, and it turns out that everyone has been living a lie.
Azmi, Yasmin’s father, is revealed to be a builder himself—not a major contractor.
Nihad, Yasmin’s mother, turns out to have been engaged four times before marrying Azmi, and her father never owned the lands he was supposed to pass down.
Yasmin had actually quit medical school long ago and is studying fine arts.
And Raed? He isn’t a builder at all—he turns out to be a locksmith!

Written and Directed by: Hisham Suleiman
Music: Moeen Daniel

Cast: Fazaa Hammoud, Dalia Awkal, Rawad Azar, and Narin Faran