by mustafas8 September 2020 | The Freedom Theatre is delighted to congratulate our colleague and friend Gabriel Varghese on the launch of his seminal new book, Palestinian Theatre in the West Bank: Our Human Faces, published by Palgrave Macmillan in March 2020.
Palestinian Theatre in the West Bank is the first major comprehensive study of contemporary Palestinian theatre in the occupied West Bank, tracing its evolution over the past three decades through a combination of original fieldwork, interviews, performance analysis and case studies. The book foregrounds the voices of theatre-makers themselves, positioning their creative practices as essential acts of cultural resistance and collective expression.
A Landmark Contribution to Theatre Scholarship
Gabriel Varghese, an associate research fellow at the Kenyon Institute (Council for British Research in the Levant) in East Jerusalem, draws on rich historical and ethnographic research to explore how five major theatre companies; including The Freedom Theatre, Al-Kasaba Theatre, Ashtar Theatre, Al-Harah Theatre and Al-Rowwad, have shaped the theatrical landscape of the West Bank since the 1990s.
Varghese introduces the concept of “abject counterpublics” to examine how Palestinian theatre-makers contest dominant narratives and negotiation of identity under prolonged settler-colonial conditions. In doing so, the book situates theatre not only as an artistic practice but as a vital cultural platform that articulates lived experience, community endurance, and the politics of representation.
Why This Book Matters
- 📚 Palestinian Theatre in the West Bank: Our Human Faces is the first in-depth academic account of Palestinian theatrical history covering the last thirty years.
- It centres Palestinian voices and artistic agency, challenging passive stereotypes about cultural production under occupation.
- It documents the growth of a vibrant, internationally engaged theatre scene, demonstrating the impact of performance as both resistance and global dialogue.
- The book is accessible to scholars, practitioners, students of theatre and global audiences interested in how performance intersects with social and political realities. Critical reviews highlight its readability, analytical depth and relevance beyond academic theatre studies.
About the Author
Gabriel Varghese is a playwright, theatre director, cultural researcher and co-artistic director of Sandpit Arts, an award-winning platform for producing interdisciplinary performances and cultural events. He holds a PhD in Drama from the University of Exeter and has contributed to scholarship on theatre, performance and post-colonial cultural expression in Palestine and beyond.
Availability
Palestinian Theatre in the West Bank: Our Human Faces is available in hardcover, paperback and e-book editions through major international academic publishers and booksellers.