Women carve niche in Gaza's small theater world
Three determined Gazan women have established their own all-female theater production company.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Three Palestinian women who came together last year to establish an all-female theater troupe have taken Gaza’s top issues such as immigration and family ties to the stage with a play called "Hashtag."
Wissam Dirawi, Alaa Salem and Manal Barakat founded Bozour for Culture and Arts ("bozour" is Arabic for seeds) on July 1, 2016. They brought to the project 15 years of experience in local theaters as well as training abroad in Poland, Egypt and Jerusalem. Dirawi is the director, Salem is responsible for the cartoons and animations programs, and Barakat is the scriptwriter and production designer.
The all-female drama group marks a first in Gaza’s male-dominated theater scene, where men and men’s issues dominate the stage. Social customs have long prevented Palestinian women from appearing alongside men in theatrical productions. In many plays, female roles are played by men.
Dirawi, the director of the group, told Al-Monitor that all the scriptwriting, directing, photography, decoration and lighting are performed by women.
