[The Essential Readings series is curated by the Middle East Studies Pedagogy Initiative (MESPI) team at the Arab Studies Institute. MESPI invites scholars to contribute to our Essential Readings modules by submitting an “Essential Readings” list on a topic/theme pertinent to their research/specialization in Middle East studies. Authors are asked to keep the selection relatively short while providing as much representation/diversity as possible. This difficult task may ultimately leave out numerous works which merit inclusion from different vantage points. Each topic may eventually be addressed by more than one author. Articles such as this will appear permanently on www.MESPI.org and www.Jadaliyya.com. Email us at info@MESPI.org for any inquiries.]
Palestinian theater has long served as a profound medium for resistance, resilience, and cultural expression. Rooted in a legacy of artistic defiance, it reflects the struggles and aspirations of a people enduring decades of occupation and displacement. This essential reading list focuses on the existing work on Palestinian performance, much of which illuminates the dynamic intersections of performance, politics, and identity, showcasing the rich tapestry of narratives that highlight the transformative power of theater in Palestine. It is worth noting that many scholars of theatre and performance have visited Palestine once or twice and published about the work they have seen at various theatres throughout the West Bank. The selected readings included here are focused on English language texts and shed light on larger themes across Palestinian theatre, focusing on how Palestinian artists navigate their cultural production while preserving Palestinian heritage and advancing the discourse on resistance and liberation. There are many important books on Palestinian theatre that exist in Arabic and are worthy of deep exploration. For the sake of space, they could not be included here (though perhaps a future Essential Reading could house them).
Exploring the Key Artists of Palestinian Theatre
While not comprehensive by any means, each text here provides insight into theatre artists in Palestine, theatre artists in Palestine, from tracing the network of artists to discussing the realities that shape and influence their work.
Al-Kasaba Theatre and ASHTAR Theatre in Ramallah, Al-Rowwad and Al-Harah Theatres in the Bethlehem area, and the Freedom Theatre in Jenin are the five major theatre companies Gabriel Varghese offers an in-depth exploration of in his book Palestinian Theatre in the West Bank (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). This text reveals how they navigate the realities of occupation and censorship. His analysis emphasizes how the stage serves as a platform for resistance and creative expression, challenging dominant narratives about Palestine while fostering dialogue across cultural and political divides.
If you are looking to hear from approximately 50 Palestinian artists, as well as commentary from international contributors who have engaged with Palestinian theater, Acting Out: Voices from the Theatre in Palestine (Nomad, 2022), edited by Jonathan Chadwick, is a valuable collection. It showcases the specific voices of actors, directors, and playwrights through essays, interviews, testimonies, and reflections, highlighting the most visible artists in Palestinian theatre and their artistic expression in the face of adversity.
“Stories Under Occupation”: And Other Plays from Palestine (Seagull, 2020), edited and compiled by Samer Al-Saber and Gary English, features seven plays from across the West Bank and Gaza. Spanning from 2002-2014, this anthology “is not by any measure comprehensive, [however] it provides a lens for viewing the plays as selected representations of theater in major Palestinian cities including Ramallah, Jenin, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Hebron, Haifa, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.”[1]Additionally, Al-Saber edited the anthology To the Good People of Gaza: Theatre for Young People (Bloomsbury, 2022), which is the first text of its kind featuring play texts from Theatre Day Productions in Gaza. While many anthologies in the United States anthologize Palestinian work in various ways, including placing Palestinian artists in Palestine in conversation with those in the diaspora, they are not necessarily broad enough (nor do they aim to be) to provide an overview of Palestinian theatre, as the two anthologies mentioned here do. Stories Under Occupation and To the Good People of Gaza are helpful resources that contribute to preserving Palestinian theater while providing readers with access to the rich texts being performed under occupation.
Diving into the History of Palestinian Theatre
The texts in this section provide historical overviews of Palestinian theatre, some of its theatrical movements, and one particular theatre company.
While most people interested in Palestinian theatre are familiar with The Freedom Theatre located in Jenin Refugee Camp, the book The Freedom Theatre: Performing Resistance in Palestine (Leftword, 2020) documents its history and impact in detail beneficial to all. This book highlights the theater’s contributions to fostering resistance through performances, workshops, and youth programs, illustrating how art can thrive even under occupation. By documenting its achievements and challenges, the book offers a vital lens into what it means to make theatre in a refugee camp so often targeted by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). The theater’s dedication to youth empowerment and community engagement serves as a microcosm of Palestinian resilience, illustrating how cultural production can both shield against and serve as a weapon of resistance against systemic oppression.
Reuven Snir’s scholarship on Arabic literature and theater highlights the role of language and storytelling as vehicles for cultural resistance. In his introduction to Palestinian Theatre (Reichert, 2005), Snir emphasizes the resilience and continuity of Palestinian theater despite political and social upheaval. His work mentions key institutions such as Al-Balalin and El-Hakawati and analyzes some of their texts. Ultimately, Snir’s work on Palestinian theatre is limited.
Complementing Snir’s historical analysis, Susan Slyomovics’ essay "To Put One’s Fingers in the Bleeding Wound: Palestinian Theatre Under Israeli Censorship" (TDR, 1992) investigates the interplay between Israeli censorship and Palestinian creativity. Slyomovics examines the work of the Palestinian National Theatre El-Hakawati, and underscores how censorship has simultaneously restricted freedom and fostered innovation. Also, Hala Khamis Nassar's article, "Stories from under Occupation: Performing the Palestinian Experience," (Theatre Journal, 2006) briefly examines the evolution of Palestinian theater from the 19th century to the early 21st century. Nassar’s writing illustrates how theater has become a vital medium for asserting Palestinian identity and preserving collective memory amid cultural suppression. By integrating traditional storytelling methods, such as El-Hakawati, with contemporary narratives, Palestinian theater portrays and critiques the challenges arising from living under occupation. Additionally, Nassar’s 2001 Ph.D. dissertation, “Palestinian Theatre: Between Origins and Visions,” written at the Free University of Berlin, is a key reference for studies of the early 2000s.
Palestinian theatre scholar Samer Al-Saber’s first monograph provides foundational insights into the evolution of Palestinian theatre during the 20th and 21st centuries. A Movement's Promise: The Making of Contemporary Palestinian Theater (Stanford University Press, 2025) focuses on the golden era of Palestinian theater in Jerusalem during the 1970s and 1980s. During this period, Palestinian theater emerged as a leading form of artistic expression, especially in the absence of local radio, television, and uncensored journalism. Theater artists self-identified as creating a movement, understanding their place in cultural resistance. Al-Saber examines how these artists created plays that articulated Palestinian identity, critiqued social norms, and challenged the power disparities imposed by the occupation. The book delves into the dynamics between Palestinian theater artists and Israeli authorities, highlighting the challenges posed by institutionalized censorship and the artists' determination to perform despite immense obstacles. By documenting this history, Al-Saber amplifies the voices of Palestinian theater practitioners, offering insights into their resilience and creativity under occupation.
Storytelling and Representation
Susan Slyomovics’ broader exploration of Palestinian oral history in The Object of Memory: Arab and Jew Narrate the Palestinian Village (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998) demonstrates how storytelling preserves memories of home, land, and exile. By drawing on oral traditions, Slyomovics highlights how ephemeral storytelling subverts dominant narratives and sustains cultural identity. This dynamic interplay between repression and resilience reveals how Palestinian theater evolves in response to political constraints, adapting its form to preserve its essence.
“Aren’t We Human? Normalizing Palestinian Performances” (Arab Studies Journal, 2014) by Rania Jawad examines how personal narratives mobilize solidarity. By highlighting the emotional and human dimensions of the Palestinian struggle, she calls for a nuanced approach to representation. Her work invites a deeper understanding of how individual stories intersect with broader struggles, emphasizing the critical role of performance as both a personal and collective act of defiance. In "Staging Resistance in Bil’in: The Performance of Violence in a Palestinian Village," (MIT Press Journals, 2011) Jawad analyzes the performative aspects of weekly protests in Bil’in, arguing that these acts of nonviolent resistance complicate spectators’ understanding of Palestinian struggles. Her work critiques how this framing can delegitimize other forms of resistance, shifting blame for violence onto individuals while ignoring systemic oppression.
Cultural Resistance Outside of Theatre
As a scholar deeply embedded in performance studies, I find it essential to include forms of performance beyond theatre. By thinking of performance beyond theatre, we open up new opportunities to view cultural production as a site where political, affective, and relational forces are enacted and negotiated. This section's texts are limited for the sake of space, but they highlight Palestinian music, film, dance, and visual art.
David A. McDonald’s My Voice is My Weapon: Music, Nationalism, and the Poetics of Palestinian Resistance (Duke University Press, 2006) explores the emergence of Palestinian hip-hop, particularly through the group DAM, as a powerful tool for cultural expression and activism. McDonald and other scholars, including Amal Eqeiq and Sunaina Maira, examine how Palestinian hip-hop challenges narratives the Western world is quick to impose on people in the Middle East. These works analyze how platforms like YouTube amplify Palestinian voices and foster transnational solidarity. Hip-hop’s ability to bridge generational and geographical divides illustrates its role as a modern form of resistance rooted in cultural traditions.
Palestinian cinema has similarly emerged as a medium of resistance and memory. Nurith Gertz and George Khleifi’s Palestinian Cinema: Landscape, Trauma, and Memory (Edinburgh University Press, 2008) delineates phases of Palestinian cinema corresponding to periods of national struggle. Their work, alongside Nadia Yaqub’s Palestinian Cinema in the Days of Revolution (University of Texas Press, 2018), provides a historical and thematic framework for understanding filmic representations of trauma and resilience. Similarly, John Collins’ Global Palestine (Hurst, 2011) critiques the hypervisibility of Palestinian narratives in global media, noting the challenges posed by external influences on representation. These studies collectively underscore how digital and cinematic media expand the reach of Palestinian resistance while navigating the complexities of global discourse.
Raising Dust: A Cultural History of Dance in Palestine (I.B. Tauris, 2010) by Nicholas Rowe explores the rich and multifaceted history of dance in Palestine, highlighting its role in expressing identity, resistance, and resilience. Drawing on firsthand accounts and historical analysis, Rowe examines traditional, folkloric, and contemporary dance practices, delving into the challenges faced by Palestinian dancers and choreographers amidst occupation and cultural suppression.
Kamal Boullata provides a comprehensive exploration of the evolution of Palestinian visual art, tracing its development from the Ottoman era to contemporary times in the book Palestinian Art: From 1850 to the Present (2009, Saqi Books). The book examines how artists have navigated themes of identity, exile, and resistance through painting, photography, and installation art, highlighting the works of key Palestinian artists.
Additional Noteworthy Pieces
"Jerusalem’s Roses and Jasmine: A Resistant Ventriloquism Against a Racialized Orientalism"(Theatre Research International, 2018) examines the controversy surrounding the play Roses and Jasmine, staged by the Palestinian National Theatre El-Hakawati, and skillfully utilizes the framework of “resistant ventriloquism,” while showcasing how this technique exposes systemic oppression and challenges dominant narratives. Samer Al-Saber’s analyses of orientalism and transnational cultural exchanges illuminate the multifaceted ways Palestinian theater engages with issues both local and global. By dissecting the nuanced use of symbolism and thematic subversion, Al-Saber’s work emphasizes how performance becomes a site of ideological resistance and a mirror reflecting colonial contradictions.
Theatre and Human Rights: The Politics of Dramatic Form (Routledge, 2024), by Gary English, investigates the relationship between theater and human rights, emphasizing how dramatic structures can challenge injustice and foster social transformation. English, the 2012 Artistic Director of Jenin’s Freedom Theatre, highlights the role of Palestinian theatre in navigating themes of identity, occupation, and resilience, using performance to critique oppression and inspire justice. His essay "Palestinian Theatre: Alienation, Mediation, and Assimilation in Cross-Cultural Research," featured in Arabs, Politics, and Performance (Routledge, 2024), expands on these themes by exploring the challenges Palestinian theater-makers face in a globalized world. Through these works, English provides a nuanced examination of Palestinian theater’s significance within global theater and human rights discourse. In the same edited volume, Al-Saber’s “Historiographical Conundrums in Palestinian Theatre Research,” examines the challenges of documenting and studying the history of Palestinian theatre. He highlights issues such as fragmented archives, the impact of colonialism and occupation, and the marginalization of Palestinian voices in broader academic discourses. Al-Saber emphasizes the need for nuanced methodologies that address these gaps, advocating for approaches that integrate oral histories and contextualize artistic practices within Palestine’s unique realities.
Emerging Scholars & Conclusion
What is next for Palestinian theatre and performance studies? The emergence of a new generation of Palestinians, either as recent graduates of doctoral programs or currently in graduate studies, bodes well for the future of the field. Ruba Totah’s work “Performing the Collective: Al-Hakawati and Beyond” (2020) has been published in the Jerusalem Quarterly showcases one of her areas of research beautifully. Dia Barghouti’s work such as “Indigenous Sufi Theatre in Palestine: Rain Summoning in the Performances of Bint-Mbareh” (Jadaliyya, 2020) and “Reviving al-Nabi Musa: Performance, Politics, and Indigenous Sufi Culture in Palestine” (New Theatre Quarterly, 2022) have explored Sufi performance in Palestine, an often unexplored phenomenon. Emerging scholars like Mahmoud Abusultan, whose master’s thesis “A Palestinian Theatre: Experiences of Resistance, Sumud and Reaffirmation” (Bowling Green State University, 2021) demonstrates how Palestinians confront the conditions under which they live, while striving to preserve their cultural heritage. From these pieces, I am confident that the field of Palestinian performance studies is bright.
[1] Al-Saber, S., & English, G. M. (2020). Stories Under Occupation: And Other Plays from Palestine. Seagull Books, ix