International prize nomination shines spotlight on West Bank theater
Palestine's Al-Harah Theater is one of the 11 finalists for the Ellen Stewart International Award, a prestigious prize for theater companies that promote social change.
Al-Harah Theater is one of 11 finalists for the Ellen Stewart International Award, a prestigious prize presented to theater companies that promote social change and community participation with a particular emphasis on engaging young people. Located in the West Bank town of Beit Jala, in Bethlehem province, it is the only finalist from the Palestinian territories. Other Middle Eastern finalists are the Garage Theater in Iran and Zoukak in Lebanon. The finalists were selected in a public vote conducted online. The winner will be determined in one month in another online vote.
Winning the Ellen Stewart award would represent a milestone for the small company, which was founded by a group of multitaskers in 2005. The winner will attend the International Theatre Institute World Congress, be awarded an artists’ residency at La MaMa Umbria to create a new work and receive financial and production support to present the new work at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds.
