📚 Summary and Analysis of The Freedom Theatre Annual Report 2013
🎭 Highlights and Achievements
2013 was an exceptionally productive and expansive year for The Freedom Theatre (TFT), marked by:
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5 new in-house theatre productions: Suicide Note from Palestine, Ouda – Courage, The Island, Lost Land, Our Sign is the Stone.
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International Tours: The Island toured the US, Brazil, and Sweden; Suicide Note went to Italy.
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5500+ theatre attendees in Palestine; 3000+ abroad.
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Freedom Bus Project: Including Freedom Rides and Playback Theatre in over 30 Palestinian communities, especially Area C.
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New film unit: Produced 5 short films; screened to 1000+ viewers.
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Photography program: Culminated in the Spectrum exhibition seen by 4000+.
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Two editions of Voices Magazine: Published with contributions from creative writing workshops.
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Solid presence abroad: Playback, psychodrama, and theatre workshops in Egypt, Denmark, Norway.
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Major community engagement: Through drama in education, psychodrama, storytelling (Hakawati), physical activities, and youth workshops.
🧩 Programmatic Dimensions
1. Theatre School & Productions
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Students integrated into large-scale productions.
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TFT continued blending professional training with social engagement, reflecting Arna Mer Khamis’s educational philosophy.
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The acting school contributed to building capacity while maintaining artistic excellence.
2. Applied Theatre & Psychodrama
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Trained educators and mental health professionals.
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Offered tools for trauma healing and educational reform.
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First long-term psychodrama training in the West Bank in partnership with the Therapeutic Spiral Institute (USA).
3. Freedom Bus & Playback Theatre
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Unique combination of artistic expression and activism.
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Connected isolated communities under threat from displacement.
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Created a performative archive of lived experience and resistance.
4. Multimedia Program
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Grew significantly in 2013 with robust filmmaking, photography, and writing programs.
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Content production (films, photos, articles) empowered youth and documented overlooked stories.
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Spectrum and Voices platforms showcased young Palestinian perspectives.
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🌍 Community & International Engagement
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12000+ audience members across Palestine and globally.
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Hosted solidarity stays and overnight visits in marginalized communities.
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Over 7000 visitors to the theatre, including workshops and international volunteers (34 in total).
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Cultural collaborations with artists and organizations from Europe, North America, and the MENA region.
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🤝 Partnerships & Funders
TFT maintained strong partnerships locally and internationally:
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Over 60 organizational partners across Palestine.
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Support from major donors: Ford Foundation, Sida, AFAC, Medico International, European Commission, among others.
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Solid Friends Associations in France, Sweden, UK, USA, Germany, Scotland, vital for outreach and fundraising.
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👥 Governance & Structure
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Report includes names of core staff, board members, acting school students, volunteers, and partners.
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Multidisciplinary staff structure included technicians, artists, educators, administrators, and media professionals.
🔭 Strategic Outlook for 2014
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New theatre productions planned: Magic Note, Commedia Dell’Arte show.
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Graduation of the current acting class and recruitment of a new one.
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Continued Freedom Bus programming and new publications.
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Growth in applied theatre and physical training offerings.
🧠 Evaluation and Insights
✅ Strengths
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Exceptional integration of art, resistance, and community engagement.
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Strong emphasis on capacity building, especially among youth.
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Balance of local grounding and international visibility.
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Clear articulation of TFT’s role as a hub for cultural resistance.
⚠️ Areas to Strengthen
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While comprehensive, some sections (e.g., finances) could benefit from greater detail and transparency.
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Long-term sustainability plans or challenges (e.g., funding stability, risk management under occupation) were not deeply analyzed.
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Lack of disaggregated data on gender, age, or geographic reach may limit in-depth impact assessment.
✨ Conclusion
The 2013 Annual Report reflects a vibrant, resilient, and forward-thinking institution. TFT not only staged impactful theatre but also transformed it into a tool for education, resistance, and solidarity. The report is rich in narrative and illustrative of TFT’s mission—cultural resistance through creative empowerment.
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Read our Annual Report 2013
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