The Elephant Wins Best Theatre Performance at the Third Palestine National Theatre Festival
The award-winning street theatre production, created in Jenin by artists of The Freedom Performing Arts School, continues its journey across Palestine and the wider Arab region.
The Freedom Theatre is proud to announce that its production The Elephant has won the award for Best Theatre Performance at the Third Palestine National Theatre Festival, marking a major recognition for a production that grew from the streets of Jenin into an acclaimed theatrical work presented across Palestine and the Arab region. The award marks an important moment in the artistic journey of The Freedom Theatre and reaffirms its long-standing commitment to cultural resistance, public engagement, and rigorous artistic practice.
Inspired by The Elephant, the King of All Times by the renowned Syrian playwright Saadallah Wannous, The Elephant was produced in 2020 by The Freedom Performing Arts School as a street theatre production that brings satire, movement, music, and visual imagination into public space. Directed by Ahmed Tobasi and written by Shatha Younis, the performance reworks a classic Arab political allegory through a contemporary Palestinian lens, creating a sharp, humorous, and unsettling theatrical language that speaks to fear, obedience, corruption, and the struggle to speak truth to power.
Premiered in Jenin in October 2020, The Elephant was first presented in Jenin Governorate Park, followed by performances in Jenin Camp and then a wider West Bank tour that included Bethlehem, Beitunia, Ramallah, Nablus, and Beit Lid / Tulkarm. The tour was sponsored by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture, with different local partnerships in each city, including collaboration with municipalities, governorates, cultural libraries, and local arts institutions. The 2020 production was supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through the Palestinian Performing Arts Network (PPAN).
Since its premiere, The Elephant has continued to build a strong performance history. In Baghdad, Iraq, the production participated in the Youth Street Theater Festival, where Ahmed Tobasi received the Best Direction Prize and Motasem Abu Hasan received the Best Acting Prize. In Jordan, The Freedom Theatre received the Special Jury Award for Best Theatre Team at the 20th Zarqa Summer Festival for Arab Theater for the production. Its recognition at the Third Palestine National Theatre Festival, where it won Best Theatre Performance, confirms the work’s significance both as a compelling artistic achievement and as a theatre production deeply rooted in Palestinian public life.
Mustafa Sheta, General Manager of The Freedom Theatre, said:
“This award is a recognition of the artistic commitment of our students, graduates, and collaborators, and of our belief that theatre must remain rooted in public life and in the experiences of our people. For The Freedom Theatre, cultural resistance is not a slogan but a living artistic practice, and The Elephant is one expression of that commitment.”
For The Freedom Theatre, this award is not only a celebration of one production, but also of a broader artistic process developed in Jenin: one that invests in emerging artists, values collective creation, and insists on the right of Palestinian communities to gather around art that is critical, accessible, and alive. Through The Elephant, theatre moved beyond the conventional stage and into squares, streets, camps, and civic spaces, transforming public performance into a shared act of reflection and resistance.
The Freedom Theatre extends its gratitude to the artists, performers, technical team, partners, and supporters who made this work possible, and dedicates this recognition to Jenin Camp and to Palestine under occupation.
Production Credits
Inspired by: The Elephant, the King of All Times by Saadallah Wannous
Directed by: Ahmed Tobasi
Written by: Shatha Younis
Scenography: Anna Gisle
Puppet Maker: Lina Daoud Matanse
Costume Design: Adel Sakhleh
Design Implementation: Wafa Hassan and Sofia Jad, with support from Khalil Al-Batran
Music and Sound: Sami Al-Sadi
Theatre Technician: Ahmed Matahen
Multimedia and Photography: Mohammed Mouwia
Performers
Ehab Abed, Jamal Jaas, Khalid Farj, Mahmoud Abu Aita, Mo’men Al-Sadi, Motasem Abu Hasan, Omar Silawi, and Shada Yasin.
Selected Performance History and Participation
• Jenin Governorate Park, Jenin — premiere performance, 26 October 2020
• Youth Social Center, Jenin Camp
• Church of the Nativity / Manger Square, Bethlehem — 21 November 2020
• Beitunia Municipality, Beitunia — 22 November 2020
• The Ottoman Courthouse, Ramallah — 22 November 2020
• Nablus Performing Art and Circus School, Nablus — 22 November 2020
• Beit Lid / Tulkarm — 30 November 2020
• Youth Street Theater Festival, Baghdad, Iraq
• 20th Zarqa Summer Festival for Arab Theater, Jordan
• Third Palestine National Theatre Festival, Palestine
Awards and Recognition
• Best Theatre Performance — Third Palestine National Theatre Festival
• Best Direction Prize — Ahmed Tobasi, Youth Street Theater Festival, Baghdad
• Best Acting Prize — Motasem Abu Hasan, Youth Street Theater Festival, Baghdad
• Special Jury Award for Best Theatre Team — 20th Zarqa Summer Festival for Arab Theater, Jordan
