After three years of study, practice and performance, our Theatre School students Saber Shreim, Alaa Shehada, Motaz Malhees and Anas Arqawi graduated on April 4th; a day of profound meaning to The Freedom Theatre. Not only is it the anniversary of the invasion of Jenin Refugee Camp by the Israeli army in 2002; on April 4th, 2011, Juliano Mer Khamis, co-founder and visionary leader of the theatre, was murdered. To this day the murder remains unsolved.
The graduating students belonged to the last group of students of Juliano, and their graduation ceremony was simultaneously a tribute to Juliano, his work and his legacy.
”Today is a difficult day for us and for the whole Jenin Refugee Camp”, said Nabil Al-Raee, The Freedom Theatre’s artistic director. ”But we have struggled and we have won. Those who believed that The Freedom Theatre’s days were counted, were wrong. I would like to say to Juliano today: my friend, we have struggled like you wanted us to. We mourn Juliano while we celebrate the graduation of four of his last students. When many others were forced to leave the theatre, these young men stayed. They have lived through very difficult times in the theatre and the whole Freedom Theatre family is very proud of them. They have become actors, not only for the stage but for life.”
Nabil’s speach was followed by a presentation by the first-year and graduating students jointly. They performed a Commedia dell’ Arte workshop led by Theatre Hotel Courage from The Netherlands. For many of the new students this was their first time on stage, and the coordinator Katrien van Beurden expressed her pride in the students’ work.
Next on the program was a representative of the Swedish Friends of The Freedom Theatre, who have supported the students with grants throughout their education. Ewa Harringer, whose son Josef, an actor, passed away in late 2013 from cancer, started by saying she was very happy to be present although the reason was very sad. Prior to the funeral Josef’s parents had asked people to donate money to The Freedom Theatre for the benefit of the theatre students. Now Ewa, herself a former actor, had come to The Freedom Theatre to hand out the grants. “My son Josef believed that through theatre we can change the world. Even if someone has died, their soul is still there and I felt that collecting funds for The Freedom Theatre’s students is what Josef wanted.”
While a slideshow depicted the journey of the graduates throughout their three years of study, Nabil Al-Raee presented them one by one. Once the diplomas and grants were handed to them, the students said a few words. One of the graduates, Saber, said that he felt this school is his starting point, where he learned foremost what it is to be a human being.