{"id":57603,"date":"2022-11-01T15:33:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-01T15:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/?p=57603"},"modified":"2026-04-14T11:12:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T11:12:34","slug":"the-elephant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/2022\/11\/the-elephant\/","title":{"rendered":"The Elephant"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"The Elephant Play\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mApfwWQyTfs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Freedom Theatre Production (2020)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Inspired by:<\/strong> <em>The Elephant, the King of All Times<\/em> by Saadallah Wannous<br><strong>Written by:<\/strong> Shatha Younis<br><strong>Directed by:<\/strong> Ahmed Tobasi<br><strong>Scenography:<\/strong> Anna Gisle<br><strong>Puppet Maker:<\/strong> Lina Daoud Matanse<br><strong>Design Implementation:<\/strong> Wafa Hassan and Sofia Jad, with support from Khalil Al-Batran<br><strong>Costume Design:<\/strong> Adel Sakhleh<br><strong>Music and Sound:<\/strong> Sami Al-Sadi<br><strong>Theatre Technician:<\/strong> Ahmed Matahen<br><strong>Multimedia and Photography:<\/strong> Mohammed Mouwia<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Performed by:<\/strong> Ehab Abed, Jamal Jaas, Khalid Farj, Mahmoud Abu Aita, Mo\u2019men Al-Sadi, Motasem Abu Hasan, Omar Silawi, Shada Yasin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Producer:<\/strong> Mustafa Sheta<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Play<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Elephant<\/em> is a street theatre production that reimagines Saadallah Wannous\u2019s celebrated play <em>The Elephant, the King of All Times<\/em> through a contemporary Palestinian lens. Combining satire, movement, public performance, and visual spectacle, the production tells the story of a community living under the weight of fear, absurdity, and unchecked power, where a giant elephant becomes a symbol of oppression, silence, and collective hesitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Performed in public space, the show transforms streets, squares, and open civic areas into a theatrical encounter with audiences. Through humour, irony, and ensemble-based performance, <em>The Elephant<\/em> invites audiences to reflect on obedience, complicity, courage, and the fragile moment when people choose to speak out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Origins and Development<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Produced in 2020 by <strong>The Freedom Theatre School<\/strong>, <em>The Elephant<\/em> emerged as part of The Freedom Theatre\u2019s ongoing investment in young artists and in theatre that engages directly with public life. The production was developed in Jenin and premiered as a street theatre performance in Jenin Governorate Park in October 2020, before continuing to Jenin Camp and later touring across the West Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Created during a period shaped by pandemic restrictions and shrinking public cultural space, the production reflected The Freedom Theatre\u2019s commitment to keeping performance alive, accessible, and rooted in the everyday lives of Palestinian communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Artistic Approach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A street theatre production designed for direct engagement with audiences in public space.<br>A visual and physical performance language shaped by satire, rhythm, ensemble movement, and symbolic imagery.<br>A contemporary Palestinian adaptation of a landmark Arab political text.<br>A collaborative production process led by artists, students, and graduates of The Freedom Theatre.<br>A mobile work adaptable to streets, public squares, festivals, municipalities, camps, and community spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Performance History<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since its premiere in Jenin in October 2020, <em>The Elephant<\/em> has been performed across Palestine and the wider Arab region, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jenin Governorate Park, Jenin \u2014 premiere performance, 26 October 2020<br>Youth Social Center, Jenin Camp<br>Church of the Nativity \/ Manger Square, Bethlehem \u2014 21 November 2020<br>Beitunia Municipality, Beitunia \u2014 22 November 2020<br>The Ottoman Courthouse, Ramallah \u2014 22 November 2020<br>Nablus Performing Art and Circus School, Nablus \u2014 22 November 2020<br>Beit Lid \/ Tulkarm \u2014 30 November 2020<br>Youth Street Theater Festival, Baghdad, Iraq \u2014 2022<br>20th Zarqa Summer Festival for Arab Theater, Jordan \u2014 2022<br>Third Palestine National Theatre Festival, Palestine \u2014 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Awards and Recognition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Best Theatre Performance \u2014 Third Palestine National Theatre Festival<br>Best Direction Prize \u2014 Ahmed Tobasi, Youth Street Theater Festival, Baghdad<br>Best Acting Prize \u2014 Motasem Abu Hasan, Youth Street Theater Festival, Baghdad<br>Special Jury Award for Best Theatre Team \u2014 20th Zarqa Summer Festival for Arab Theater, Jordan<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Themes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Power and fear<br>Silence and collective responsibility<br>Satire as a form of resistance<br>Public space as a site of performance and dialogue<br>Courage, community, and speaking truth to power<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Target Audience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Young adults, general audiences, festivals, municipalities, schools, cultural centres, and community spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Duration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Approx. <strong>40 minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/poster-1-724x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-57607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/poster-1-724x1024.jpg 724w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/poster-1-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/poster-1-768x1086.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/poster-1-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/poster-1-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/poster-1-8x12.jpg 8w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/poster-1-scaled.jpg 1810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Freedom Theatre Production (2020) Inspired by: The Elephant, the King of All Times by Saadallah WannousWritten by: Shatha YounisDirected by: Ahmed TobasiScenography: Anna GislePuppet Maker: Lina Daoud MatanseDesign Implementation: Wafa Hassan and Sofia Jad, with support from Khalil Al-BatranCostume Design: Adel SakhlehMusic and Sound: Sami Al-SadiTheatre Technician: Ahmed MatahenMultimedia and Photography: Mohammed Mouwia Performed [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":57605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theatre-productions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57603","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=57603"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57608,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57603\/revisions\/57608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}