12 September 2020 | The Freedom Theatre (TFT) has concluded an intensive 10-day Masks Theatrical Workshop, delivered as part of its ongoing commitment to professional performing arts training and the development of a new generation of Palestinian theatre-makers.
Held at The Freedom Theatre Performing Arts School in Jenin, the workshop brought together acting school students in an advanced programme combining technical craft, physical performance, and theatrical imagination. The training culminated in an educational presentation for a public audience, offering insight into the artistic process behind mask-making and its application on stage.
Training in the Art of Mask Performance
Led by theatre trainer Murtada Hammouz (Nablus), a graduate of The Commedia School, an international theatre school in Copenhagen, Denmark, the workshop introduced students to the fundamentals and discipline of mask theatre, a form rooted in classical performance traditions yet powerfully adaptable to contemporary storytelling.
Across the programme, participants explored:
- Mask manufacturing techniques and professional methods of craft
- Movement and physical theatre training, including body awareness and mime
- The study of materials, colour, and animal-inspired forms to expand creative imagination
- Practical training in neutral masks, strengthening presence, clarity, and expressive precision
A Craft that Deepens Performance
Mask theatre is more than a visual form, it is a rigorous performance language. Through this workshop, TFT students developed skills that sharpen the actor’s physical storytelling, discipline, and ensemble work, strengthening their capacity to build characters, emotions, and narratives through gesture, rhythm, and transformation.
As part of TFT’s broader educational mission, this workshop reflects our belief that artistic excellence is inseparable from cultural resilience, and that training young artists in advanced theatrical forms is a crucial act of cultural resistance, creative freedom, and future-building.
For more information about TFT workshops and training programmes:
📧 info@thefreedomtheatre.org
