As you have by now, (we hope!), read through our pages of productions and training programs with growing admiration and respect, you will, no doubt, be wondering what you can do to get in on our act - so to speak......
Well, there are hundreds of ways in which you can help us, starting from simply learning about us and telling your friends, through linking up with us on joint projects. But let us point out, ladies and gentlemen, that we are also not opposed to, shall we say,...... a little financial support....?
We are lucky enough to receive funds from a number of theatre bodies, and we get grants from time to time. We do charge a fee from our students too, but we try to subsidise them as much as possible due to the dire financial situation most of them, as Palestinian youngsters are in. We are not an elitist theatre - our programs are available to all, perhaps most importantly to those who would not be able to get this kind of outlet anywhere else.
So, what this all boils down to is an invitation or an opportunity to avoid the hazards of, what the World Bank politely describes as "mis-direction of funds", and put your money directly to work in one of the most open-minded, optimistic and successful educational projects in Palestine today.
Following are some of the projects and ideas that, with your help, we would like to put into operation:
Audio Visual Room.
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.
We have the room, now we need to fill it with theatre books and magazines, drama and theatre reviews, video cassettes and publications in the different fields of theatre such as; Drama in Education; Youth Theatre; Senography; Make-up and lighting.
We need support to purchase books and magazine and review subscriptions, and we would also greatly appreciate donations of second hand theatre books (in good condition) from libraries, theatres and institutions.
Getting around, festivals and tours.
Much as we love this little country of ours, a vital part of our mission is to take opur stories, ideas and challenges to the rest of the world. The problem is we don’t have a magic carpet .......
Often we are invited to participate in festivals and cultural events in countries who, for one reason or another, are not in a position to help us get to them. We hate to turn anyone down, yet financial constraints time and again force us to stay put. A very frustrating and unecessary situation .... it doesn’t have to be like this. With your help, we can be the mouse that roars once again:
1. We try to get to at least 2 festivals every year. We’d like to go farther afield, and join our soulmates in Europe and the United States. To do so, we need approximately $10,000 to transport 7 of us and our equipment.
2. At the moment, we are using our own cars to transport eachother around. This is a big pain in the neck, because often our famillies need them for other reasons. Also, small cars are not the ideal way to get around, especially in this part of the world, where safety lies in numbers and getting separated en route can literally be disasterous. We would love to get a small minibus, so we can all travel together and minimise overheads and driver fatigue.
Audio-visual equipment
We desperately need a VCR and TV set to go in to the Audio-visual room mentioned above. We ahad an arrangement with one organisation but unfortunately it seems they were just pulling our leg! How would you like to restore our faith?
In addition we also need a video camera, in order to make and send promotional videos for interested groups, potential funders and co-workers, and to set up an archive of all our hard work.
In order to send us money there is some important information you need to know: Vital Statistics
