Documenting the History of the Contemporary Palestinian Theatre Movement, 1967-2020: The Cases of Adel Tartir, Balalin Group and Sandouq El-Ajab Theatre

Alaa Tartir  |  Research on the Arts Program  |  2020  |  Palestine
The objective of this research project is to document elements in the history of the contemporary Palestinian theatre movement from 1967 until 2020 from the perspective of one of the founders of the Palestinian theatre movement: Adel Tartir. Tartir, also known as Abu El-Ajab, co-founded Balalin Group and Sandouq El-Ajab Theatre in 1970 and 1975 respectively, and is still active in theatre until the present day. The journey of these groups, and the life and theatrical trajectories of Tartir, constitute the main focus of this research project, which includes the publication of a book. The project goes beyond the writing of Tartir’s biography; it holds a wider purpose: to use Tartir’s biography to reflect on, document, and analyse the history and evolution of Palestinian theatre over the past 50 years. Furthermore, this research project is not only centred on preserving history, culture, narrative and identity; it also celebrates this history and culture through objective, critical, and robust scholarly production. The present research will offer original insights gathered through in-depth interviews with Tartir, and will examine his unique theatrical archives. On its part, the book will be of interest for history, arts and culture scholars and researchers, in addition to a wide audience interested in Palestine and its cultural, theatre and artistic scene.