Rehearsals have started for a brand new child theatre play, Math Exam, co-written by Ahmad Al Rokh, graduate of The Freedom Theatre School and resident artist at the theatre, and Nabil Al-Raee, artistic director. The play is directed by Ahmad Al Rokh.
Math Exam is The Freedom Theatre’s first children’s play that is entirely created in-house, based on stories from children in Jenin Refugee Camp. The play will open on January 9, 2016 and run for 20 performances during the winter school holidays.
“The process of creating the play started with theatre workshops with children”, Ahmad Al Rokh explains. “Through games, exercises and interviews with children I understood that their reality is very different from the adult reality here in Jenin Refugee Camp. They of course know of the occupation but it’s an abstract concept. They dream of simple things: going to the sea, travelling, flying on an airplane, and most commonly, leaving school. This to me was the most interesting answer. Most of the children expressed how they dislike and fear their teachers or the teaching methods, and most of all they dislike the exams.”
Children in Jenin Refugee Camp move in an endless circle of home, school, street. Math Exam illustrates this, and how children feel pressure from their families and from the schools. It uses comedy, animation and imagination to touch upon serious issues in society, such as the occupation, poverty and problems in the educational system.
With Math Exam, Ahmad Al Rokh makes his debut as a director. “I always wanted to direct. I like comedy, especially black comedy, and using comedy with children is a real challenge. This will be a good experience for me, to put everything I learned in The Freedom Theatre since 2006 to use in this play.”
When Ahmad Al Rokh grew up in Jenin Refugee Camp, theatre was an unknown concept. “Now there is one in our neighbourhood, the children grow up with The Freedom Theatre. In my opinion they are the most important audience to us. If we can find a solution to their problems through theatre, we will indirectly find the beginning of a solution to our society’s problems. These children are the generation that will lead the country one day.”