On 22 February, we welcomed the Yes Theatre from Hebron, to perform their latest production ‘The Emigrants’. The play is based on Slawomir Mrozek’s book ‘The Emigrants’, directed by Ihab Zahdeh and performed by Mohammed Al-Teeti & Raed Al-Shyoukhy.
The play is set on New Years Eve; two emigrants, X and Y; one an intellectual and the other a labourer. They live together in the basement of a house in an unnamed country. The intellectual emigrated for political reasons, the worker to find work. They are culturally and professionally different, yet they are similar in their loss. Conversations between them are meaningless and misunderstandings are endless, however they share the same room, the same space, with each one feeling the heavy burden of an unwanted companion….yet they do not separate.
This powerful play addresses the suffering of two very different individuals and provokes many philosophical questions about expatriation, alienation, unforced immigration and much more.
Many thanks to the Yes Theatre for bringing their show to Jenin – we hope to see you again soon!
