In a downtown community center created from the refurbished Al-Siraj movie house. Another step forward in Palestinian society is taking shape. A rehearsal is under way for a production later this evening of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" to be performed in Arabic by the Ashtar theater group. The actors are a mix of older, experienced performers and energetic younger novices: a sparse set of branches and trellises evokes the Athenian countryside in which the fantasy romance is set.

This production is charged by the vision of the small group of dramatic artists trying to fulfill a ambitious dream of their own.

"What we are trying to create." says Ashtar co-director Iman Aoun. " is a Palestinian theatrical tradition."

Palestinian theater itself not a new phenomenon : during the 1970’s and 80’s a number of small drama companies sprang up in East Jerusalem, performing sporadically here and there, and on rare occasions, in the West Bank and Gaza. The most accomplished of these groups was the Al-Hakawati, which frequently staged original productions dealing with the Palestinian political struggle. Two regular performers of the troupe were Aoun and her husband Edward Muallem.

"There was no theater education available in the Palestinian sector itself..", she notes, "including in any of the West Bank universities. So the only options for Palestinians were to learn in an Israeli environment or to go abroad to study, something very few had the opportunity to do."

(The Jerusalem Report , December 28, 1995)

Ashtar admits that parents of some of their drama students were a bit suspicious at first. "There is little theatrical tradition in our community."

"Many of the girls who started with us faced pressure from their families and had to drop out. The parents were also reluctant to let their daughters go out to rehearsals at night and to take part in an activity in which they would be mingling with the opposite sex."

But those who stayed have grown in poise and confidence - reveling in the strong, intelligent role models for women offered by some of the plays. Adds Iman Aoun,"our female students develop a strong personality and don’t meekly submit to the decisions made by their families regarding their future. Through theater they learn how to identify their needs because the real struggle starts with oneself."

( ACTION March 1996)

FRIDAY,MAY 5, 1995 Toward Stagecraft The staff of the Ashtar School for Theater Education has had to overcome social inhibitions in its quest to bring a new level of professionalism to the palestinian stage. Now Ashtar has become a training ground for future actors and professionals in Palestinian theater. But the change wasn’t easy. " First we had to establish that there was a need for theater, " says Aoun. Like many on the Ashtar teaching team, Aoun is a former member of the El-Hakawati Theater Company, which was a central part of a Palestinian cultural awakening in the late 1970s and `80s.

" We were creating a new approach to theater with Ashtar. The majority of Palestinian actors learn acting by (performing) and there has always been a lack of `professionals` who really know the profession and what it needs. Slowly Palestinian theater is growing and by studying and teaching theater, we can accelerate the process and create a new generation of Palestinian theater actors." Until now what has been important in Palestinian theater has been the words, says drama coach Hijazi, who studied art and theater production at Leipzig’s High Institute for Theater Art. Now, he says, the students want body language to be a part of it, too.

"Maybe some of the established actors will get mad when they see what the new generation can do," he says.

(The Jerusalem post- May 5, 1995)