Welcome to the ASHTAR Theatre ( Virtual ! ) Walking Tour.

We’re very proud of our theatre, the building as well as the concept. We call it the ASHTAR Studio, and its located on the Bir Zeit road in Ramallah, the cultural capital of Palestine. We are here...

The ASHTAR STUDIO and facilities, are for us and for the community. We use it to hold theatre workshops, and perform productions organized by ASHTAR and to host those by other Palestinian groups or visitors. The two halls are designed to have ongoing training and rehearsing programs during the day, and small performances at nights.

So, why are we in Ramallah and not the capital Jerusalem?

The ASHTAR STUDIO is based in Ramallah for a reason. After the brutal separation of Jerusalem from the West Bank, Ramallah again became the dynamic city and trade center which it had been before the Intifada. We tried to have our studio in Jerusalem but never succeeded ... the non-stop closures of the West Bank were always in our way.At ASHTAR, we teach students coming from Ramallah, Bir Zeit, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

West Bank students cannot enter Jerusalem without permits from the Department Coordination Office ... more often than not, they cannot get such a permit ... it takes months and if they get it ... it’s no guarantee... maybe they will cross the ‘border’ too late... maybe collective punishment will cancel all permits (as is so often the case) ... then they have to start the permit process all over again.

What the studio means to us...

We’re always talking about how our theatre work with the youth carries them from a realm of wanting....to doing.... Well, the studio stands as an example of our own journey in that way.

Firstly, because as a physical edifice it represents the hard work and struggle we have gone through in the last six years, the endless round of visits to schools and universities talking to them about our vision .........the search for support and funds ......... the resistance of the society.

Secondly, because even when we found the building our work didn’t end. Theatres don’t exactly come ready made round here!

‘ Vital Statistics’

The ASHTAR STUDIO is a 300 sq. meter complex made up of two studios, each one is 12.50 x 5.00 meters.

- The EMW ( Black) studio has a wooden and PVC floor.
- The Canada ( White) studio also has a wooden floor and PVC floor and funds permitting we will have mirrored walls.

Both halls are equipped with ceiling grids for lighting and technical out-fitting to make them comfortable, practical, and efficient working spaces.

The ASHTAR STUDIO complex also has:

- A Forum (8 x 4 meters) - A Costume and Make-up Workshop (9 x 4 meters)
- A kitchenette - 3 Administration Office - An Audio-Visual Room
- A Storage Space and set workshop (10 x 4 meters) - 3 Rest Rooms.

A large parking space for about 20 cars faces the ASHTAR STUDIO.

To read about, and to see International Theatre, has always been difficult in Palestine. Palestinian theatre makers had to create their own home libraries. An expensive proposition especially if one lacks the means and the facilities to do so.

ASHTAR’s Audio Visual Library will be a 4x4 metre room, surrounded by shelves. Two tables and 8 chairs find space in it with a TV, a video recorder and a small size screen.

For more infromation on how to help us with our Audio-visual library - or other projects, see "‎The Bit Where We Ask You For Money..."

The black box, the empty space. The lab where different experiments and formations take place and develop.

Here we can get between 60 - 80 seats and a small stage. There are 43 light projectors on 36 channels a ...... computer and a sound system. All linked with the control room, which has a window view of the entire area.

We use it for performances and rehearsals.

The white room, the spectrum lens, colours and curtains .....
Here we have 22 light projectors on 24 channels, and a computer

We use it for conferences, small show and training.

It is available for conferences, exhibitions, training meetings and seminars. If you would like to know more about the facillities or their availability to hire, contact us contact us:

Telephone - ( 00972 2 ) 9980037 E.Mail - ashtar@p-ol.com

" Ahlen wa sahlen "

The nerve centre = a paradox. Where we hate having to be, when our natural place is on stage. Yet without it, we wouldn’t be here, or there, or with you. Without it, we wouldn’t have the money to do all the things we’ve done. Or a snowball’s chance in hell of doing anything else!

But hey! Just because we have a great office doesn’t mean we’re rolling in dough. In fact, we are more than ready to help you spend yours - if you have plenty and are wondering how to put it to good use. Look no further, wait no longer, send us your cash and we’ll love you forever.

Seriously though, we still have to equip our Audio- Visual room, which is growing in real time, and like a baby wakes us up in the night sometimes, when we’re worrying about how to pay for it!

For more information on how to send us money see:

This is where we design, make and store the props and furniture we use in our productions. It contains the full compliment of tools and machinery needed to design and execute any kind of set or stage. It is available for hire, on site, or we can help you to design and build your own stage equipment.

A 2.5 x 2.5 x 1.6 ( high) room with electronic and computer links to the sound and lighting system of the Black Studio. It has a large window with a full view of the studio area.

Where to get away from it all, a chance for reflection.....

As its name suggests, this is where we make and design all the costumes we use for our productions. It is equipped with a sewing machine and lockable cupboards for storage, it’s also well lit with large mirrors.

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