The Freedom Theatre’s latest in-house production, The Caretaker, opened on September 23. More than 200 people filled the theatre hall in Jenin Refugee Camp to watch The Freedom Theatre’s Acting School students perform an adaptation of Harold Pinter’s celebrated play.
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“It’s the first time at a Pinter play I see children laughing!” “The script managed to make the play serious and funny at the same time” “Very talented actors with strong presence, very powerful” “I feel that the Director reflected his experiences in prison”
The Caretaker is a psychological study of family relationships and the struggle for power between two brothers, Mick and Aston, and a stranger that Aston brings home. At first the stranger seems to be a victim but slowly he attempts to take over the house. Each of the characters is fighting for survival and searching for some sense of identity in a world that is constantly changing and unreliable.
To the Director, Nabil Al-Raee, the main theme of The Caretaker is the lack of meaningful communication. “This play reflects our current situation very well. There is no real communication here in Palestine and this is a key reason for the problems we are experiencing right now.”
The Caretaker was originally scheduled to open in June but the production process was abruptly interrupted when Nabil Al-Raee was taken away by the Israeli army in a night raid on his home on June 6. Al-Raee was held in military detention for five weeks before he was released on bail on July 12. [1] Al-Raee’s incarceration was one in a series of incidents of harassment against The Freedom Theatre in the year following the assassination of its co-founder, Juliano Mer Khamis.
Performances
September 24, @4 pm
September 25 @11 am
September 26, @4 pm
September 27, @11 am
September 29, @12 am
Director and Adaptation: Nabil Al-Raee
Cast:
Aston: Alaa Shehadeh
Davies: Motaz Malhees
Mick: Saber Abu Ashreen
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1. Read more about Nabil Al-Raee’s detention:
https://thefreedomtheatre.org/news.php?id=257
https://thefreedomtheatre.org/news.php?id=261
https://thefreedomtheatre.org/news.php?id=264