 Acting School Students
The Acting School currently consists of 10 students, most of who come from Jenin Refugee Camp or Jenin City, among the poorest and most neglected areas in the occupied West Bank. Batoul Taleb (20) Jenin City 
“My dream since childhood was to be a successful actress in cinema and theatre, so when I heard that the first Acting School in Palestine was opening in Jenin I had no doubts about joining. Everyone tried to convince me that theatre is not for women, but my family stood behind me. Today I have two struggles; to free myself as a Palestinian from the Israeli occupation and to free myself as a woman in my society.” Rami Awni (19) Jenin Refugee Camp 
“I used to hang out in the streets of Jenin Camp and get into a lot of trouble and fights. There was nothing to do and we lived in fear and frustration. I was also subjected to a lot of violence which caused me to stutter badly, but through the acting classes I have learned to fight my fears and today I dream of becoming an actor and a clown, perhaps also a dancer...” Eyad Hourani (21) Ramallah 
“Before joining the theatre I was studying business at University in Ramallah and working on the side. When I heard of the first Acting School opening in Occupied Palestine I decided to leave everything and I went to live in Jenin Refugee Camp so I could study theatre. I hope to promote the Palestinian cause on stage and to make a successful movie.” Ahmad AlRokh (22) Jenin Refugee Camp 
“Before the theatre opened and due to the conditions we lived in many of us wanted to become martyrs. The theatre gave us hope – it brought back life and we no longer thought of death. When I joined the Acting School I had the simple dream of being an actor, but today I’m also seeking to use the stage to affect change in society. I want to become an actor, to be a director and work in cinema.” Rabe’a Turkman (24) Qabatya 
“I was a fighter during the Second Intifada and was wanted by the Israelis. When the Intifada ended I signed and amnesty agreement and joined the Acting School in order to continue spreading my message of resistance through arts and culture. I believe theatre is a powerful form of resistance and I hope to become an actor and acting trainer in the future.” Mariam Abu Khaled (19) Jenin City 
“I am a girl who likes challenges, arts and life! After seeing the Acting School and the students’ work I liked the idea and joined the school. I hope to become famous – a big star!” Faisal Abu Al Haija (21) Jenin Refugee Camp 
“As a child I dreamt of becoming an actor, somebody with influence in society. The dream grew day by day and once I heard an Acting School was opening in Jenin I enrolled immediately. I want to be one of The Freedom Theatre fighters, who struggle to achieve cultural, intellectual and educational change in society.“ Majd AlSaba’a (22) Jenin City 
“I lost a very dear brother. He was a guerrilla fighter, struggling for the liberation of our people, and he was killed by the Israelis. After his death I decided to continue his struggle for freedom through theatre. My choice is not accepted in society, where girls shouldn’t be on stage, and today I’m realising that to become an actress I have to fight a lot of prejudiced thoughts along the way. But I’m sure I’ll fulfil my dream and become an actress.” Adel Massarwah (17) Jenin Refugee Camp 
“I dropped out of school early because I hated reading and writing. I initially joined one of The Freedom Theatre’s youth theatre groups and since I really enjoyed the experience I decided to carry on to the Acting School. The condition for me joining was that I would continue my education and learn to read and write, so they gave my private teachers and today I can read a script. I would like to be a famous actor in the future!” Moe'men Switat (21) Jenin City 
I used to not have much to do in my life, but I liked theatre and arts so when I heard about the Acting School I got interested. I decided to enrol and today theatre is in my blood and veins. I hope to use acting to become a representative of the Palestinian people and to spread the message of our people under occupation on stage. And I hope to get to Hollywood one day! To see short films about the students’ work, please see: www.youtube.com/user/thefreedomtheatre#p/c/23528330B134E57BDonate $10 per month You receive a quarterly newsletter, updating you on news and events at The Freedom Theatre. Donate $20 per monthYou receive a DVD copy of the award winning documentary film Arna’s Children, in addition to the quarterly newsletter. Donate $50 per monthYou receive a photography book produced by youth at The Freedom Theatre, in addition to the quarterly newsletter. Please contact us at info@thefreedomtheatre.org to notify us of your preferred language for Arna's Children. |
