The Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theatre (USA) has been a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting the projects of The Freedom Theatre since our inception in 2006. 89% of the money we raise goes directly to The Freedom Theatre. The remainder pays for minimal overhead, administrative and travel expenses for theatre staff and performers coming from Jenin to meet US audiences.

As board member Kathleen Chalfant said, “The skills needed to put on a play are all the skills needed for a successful society: a place and a task for everyone that is essential to the final production of something beautiful.”

We also regularly produce speaking tours of Freedom Theatre students and staff, including a 2014 talk by artistic director Nabil Al-Raee at the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington DC as part of the World Stages Festival.

And, when members of TFT’s staff, students and board have been arbitrarily arrested, as has occurred with disturbing frequency, NY Friends have done our utmost to mobilize and advocate on their behalf.

In fall 2011, U.S. Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theatre was delighted to host the first graduating class of The Freedom Theatre School to perform and speak in the United States!

The graduates also performed While Waiting twice to a total of 1,500 audience members, and spoke and performed at a Gala evening at Joe’s Pub, hosted by The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop and Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theatre and emceed by Oskar Eustis.

In 2013, the US Friends produced a tour of The Freedom Theatre’s adaptation of The Island, hosting eleven performances in NYC, DC, Providence and Storrs, CT. 

In 2016, we host The Freedom Theatre for a multimedia exhibition tour and in 2017 we are planning a large-scale tour of one of the theatre’s most successful productions, The Siege.

For more information, or to find out how to get involved, please contact friends@thefreedomtheatre.org