{"id":4249,"date":"2008-01-30T11:36:36","date_gmt":"2008-01-30T09:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/?p=4249"},"modified":"2026-01-17T14:22:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T14:22:08","slug":"the-journey-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/2008\/01\/the-journey-begins\/","title":{"rendered":"The Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The Freedom Theatre Production (2008)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Production Highlights:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Premiered: January 29, 2008, at <strong>The Freedom Theatre<\/strong>, Jenin Refugee Camp<\/li>\n<li>Performed by TFT youth acting group <strong>\u201cBad Boys\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Marked the first professional stage appearance for most of the young performers<\/li>\n<li>Directed and developed by <strong>Nabil Al-Raee<\/strong> under the vision of co-founder <strong>Juliano Mer-Khamis<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Represented one of TFT\u2019s earliest steps in using theatre as a tool for <strong>cultural resistance and youth empowerment<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Genre:<\/strong> Youth Theatre \/ Social Drama \/ Community Theatre<br \/>\n<strong>Language:<\/strong> Arabic<br \/>\n<strong>Duration:<\/strong> Approx. 20 minutes<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis \/ Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>The Journey<\/em> follows five Palestinian boys from Jenin Refugee Camp whose dream of reaching the Mediterranean Sea transforms into a profound internal voyage. Confronted with the daily realities of life under occupation, poverty, and social restrictions, they navigate hope, imagination, and friendship, discovering that the journey itself\u2014through storytelling, play, and creativity\u2014is a form of resistance.<\/p>\n<p>The narrative evolved from TFT\u2019s earlier production <em>To Be or Not To Be\u2026<\/em>, with new scenes and twists contributed by the young actors themselves, reflecting their lived experiences and aspirations. The play emphasizes that even in the harshest circumstances, imagination and courage can carve out spaces of freedom.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why Watch the Play<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Witness Palestinian youth transform trauma into <strong>creative expression<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Experience TFT\u2019s <strong>unique model of theatre as empowerment<\/strong>, developed in the heart of a refugee camp<\/li>\n<li>See the formation of the first youth theatre cohort in Jenin, bridging <strong>local talent and international artistic standards<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cast &amp; Creative Team<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Directed by:<\/strong> Nabil Al-Raee<br \/>\n<strong>Artistic Supervision:<\/strong> Juliano Mer-Khamis (co-founder, mentorship &amp; vision)<br \/>\n<strong>Performed by \u2013 Bad Boys Youth Group:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ahmed Al-Rokh<\/li>\n<li>Ahmed Tobasi<\/li>\n<li>Kamal Awad<\/li>\n<li>Qais Al-Sadi<\/li>\n<li>Rami Awni<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Producer:<\/strong> The Freedom Theatre<br \/>\n<strong>Set, Lighting, Costume &amp; Sound:<\/strong> TFT production team<br \/>\n<strong>Translation \/ Surtitles:<\/strong> N\/A for local audiences<\/p>\n<p><strong>Director\u2019s Note:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe play is rooted in reality, Jenin\u2019s streets, homes, and hearts. These boys brought their own lives onto the stage, transforming obstacles into imagination. Theatre becomes their sea, their freedom, their voice.\u201d \u2013 Nabil Al-Raee<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Origins and Significance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The production grew out of TFT\u2019s mission to create <strong>a theatre from below<\/strong>, empowering youth who otherwise face marginalization. The <strong>Bad Boys<\/strong> were streetwise boys, school dropouts, and children living in post-war conditions of Jenin, with little hope for formal artistic engagement. TFT\u2019s approach allowed them to reclaim their voices, reshape narratives, and participate in shaping the story of their own lives.<\/p>\n<p>This model mirrors the early principles of <strong>Arna Mer-Khamis<\/strong>, TFT\u2019s original visionary founder, and the later vision of Juliano Mer-Khamis: fostering <strong>cultural resistance, social reflection, and empowerment through performance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Political &amp; Social Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Set in <strong>Jenin Refugee Camp<\/strong>, still scarred from the 2002 battle and under ongoing occupation<\/li>\n<li>Explores the <strong>layers of oppression<\/strong>: military occupation, economic hardship, local authority pressures, and social hierarchies<\/li>\n<li>Highlights theatre as <strong>a tool for dialogue, hope, and non-violent resistance<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Community Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>First professional exposure for the youth actors, inspiring continued engagement in arts<\/li>\n<li>Demonstrated <strong>co-ed collaboration in a conservative society<\/strong>, building trust and breaking gender barriers<\/li>\n<li>Strengthened TFT\u2019s role as a <strong>cultural hub and international actor<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Performance History<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Opening:<\/strong> January 29, 2008 \u2013 The Freedom Theatre, Jenin<\/li>\n<li>Two-week daily performance following the premiere<\/li>\n<li>Part of TFT\u2019s <strong>early international attention<\/strong>, building networks of supporters, volunteers, and Friends of The Freedom Theatre<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Themes<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Resistance &amp; resilience<\/li>\n<li>Freedom, imagination, and creativity as tools of empowerment<\/li>\n<li>Youth, identity, and self-discovery<\/li>\n<li>Community solidarity and social consciousness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Target Audience<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Local communities and families in Jenin<\/li>\n<li>Youth and emerging artists<\/li>\n<li>Cultural institutions and international observers interested in <strong>Palestinian theatre and social change<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Partners &amp; Support<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Friends of The Freedom Theatre (International support network)<\/li>\n<li>Local volunteers and mentors within Jenin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Archival &amp; Academic Note<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Early TFT youth production, significant in shaping the theatre school\u2019s curriculum<\/li>\n<li>Documents TFT\u2019s <strong>bottom-up approach<\/strong> to theatre-making, combining youth empowerment, cultural resistance, and artistic excellence<\/li>\n<li>A key case study for <strong>community-driven theatre in conflict zones<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Freedom Theatre Production (2008) Production Highlights: Premiered: January 29, 2008, at The Freedom Theatre, Jenin Refugee Camp Performed by TFT youth acting group \u201cBad Boys\u201d Marked the first professional stage appearance for most of the young performers Directed and developed by Nabil Al-Raee under the vision of co-founder Juliano Mer-Khamis Represented one of TFT\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":57442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theatre-productions","category-theatre-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4249"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57445,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4249\/revisions\/57445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}