Theatre in its newest form is relatively new in the Arab world, particularly in Palestine. It started with the beginning of this century and developed unsteadily throughout the various decades. After the displacement of the Palestinian people to the Diaspora in ’48, Palestinian culture suffered a great deal, and theater took the hardest blow.

Then, in the fifties, there was a new attempt at the revival of Theater. Later, following the ’67 defeat, Palestine saw the evolution of a major new wave in its theater life; best known as a "theater of survival", for it found new definition as a vehicle through which Palestinians, under Israeli occupation, expressed their social and political worries.

In the late 70s , some intellectuals,(who unlike most of those involved in theatre in Palestine, had had the opportunity to study abroad), began to try to professionalize the theater life. In 1984, the first permanent venue became established. The impetus helped more groups became established. Also, perhaps most importantly, a new audience began to appear….

Encouraged by this, and with a further vision to help sustain and develop a vibrant and lasting theater tradition, we at ASHTAR decided to take things a step further. To go from simply producing plays, to producing the young men and women who can carry their theatrical vision to the next generation and beyond.

In little more than six years, we have grown from a single three-year, extracurricular program for high-school students, into a body that coordinates theater training programs both in schools and on-site, runs a teacher training program, holds short courses in theatre skills such as Acting, Make-up, Lighting and Costume, as well as staging our own performances and touring.

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