{"id":8871,"date":"2013-10-29T17:14:29","date_gmt":"2013-10-29T15:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/?p=8871"},"modified":"2025-12-07T16:13:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T16:13:15","slug":"lost-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/2013\/10\/lost-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost Land"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>A New Stage Adaptation by The Freedom Theatre<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In cooperation with the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>World Premiere: November 21\u201323 &amp; 27, 2013 \u2014 The Freedom Theatre, Jenin Refugee Camp<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"705\" data-end=\"735\"><strong data-start=\"708\" data-end=\"733\">Production Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"736\" data-end=\"799\">A quick snapshot of what defines this production at a glance:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"800\" data-end=\"1089\">\n<li data-start=\"800\" data-end=\"850\">\n<p data-start=\"802\" data-end=\"850\">Based on <em data-start=\"811\" data-end=\"830\">Le Grand Meaulnes<\/em> by Alain-Fournier<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"851\" data-end=\"918\">\n<p data-start=\"853\" data-end=\"918\">Three generations of Acting School students performing together<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"919\" data-end=\"950\">\n<p data-start=\"921\" data-end=\"950\">Two-act large-scale staging<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"951\" data-end=\"988\">\n<p data-start=\"953\" data-end=\"988\">13 actors and multi-role ensemble<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"989\" data-end=\"1012\">\n<p data-start=\"991\" data-end=\"1012\">Performed in Arabic<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1013\" data-end=\"1089\">\n<p data-start=\"1015\" data-end=\"1089\">Opening night attendance: 277 audience members, theatre at full capacity<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Lost Land<\/em> is a sweeping, dreamlike stage adaptation inspired by Alain-Fournier\u2019s <strong>Le Grand Meaulnes<\/strong>, reimagined through the lens of Palestinian history, memory, and generational longing.<br \/>\nThis major production brought together three generations of The Freedom Theatre\u2019s Acting School, marking a decisive artistic milestone for the institution.<\/p>\n<p>At its core, <em>Lost Land<\/em> explores an ache shared across time:<br \/>\nthe search for what has been taken, the persistence of beauty in the midst of rupture, and the cost of coming-of-age in a world shaped by political upheaval.<\/p>\n<p>Set in a landscape where personal destiny collides with collective struggle, the play follows a circle of young dreamers whose lives are broken apart and rewoven by love, war, and the irreversible tides of history.<\/p>\n<p>The result is a theatrical experience that is intimate yet epic, nostalgic yet fiercely contemporary.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why Watch <em>Lost Land<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"2042\" data-end=\"2118\">\n<p data-start=\"2044\" data-end=\"2118\">A rare Palestinian adaptation of a towering 20th-century French classic.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2119\" data-end=\"2215\">\n<p data-start=\"2121\" data-end=\"2215\">A coming-of-age tale set against the seismic historical shifts that shaped modern Palestine.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2216\" data-end=\"2301\">\n<p data-start=\"2218\" data-end=\"2301\">A visually rich production combining movement, music, and multi-role performance.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2302\" data-end=\"2386\">\n<p data-start=\"2304\" data-end=\"2386\">A story of youth, longing, first love, and the moments that define a generation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2387\" data-end=\"2495\">\n<p data-start=\"2389\" data-end=\"2495\">A landmark artistic moment: three graduating classes of The Freedom Theatre working together on one stage.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u2b50<\/strong><strong> Director\u2019s Note <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Lost Land asks a simple but devastating question: what remains after the world we know disappears?<br \/>\nThis production is an invitation to revisit memory, personal, political, imagined, and to confront the fragile beauty of what we lose before we understand its value.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Artistic Vision<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Freedom Theatre reframes Fournier\u2019s novel within a specifically Palestinian experience, transforming the book\u2019s \u201clost domain\u201d into an echo of uprooted villages, vanished childhood landscapes, and fractured memories.<\/p>\n<p>The creative vision approached the material through three guiding ideas:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1- The Lost Paradise<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A world glimpsed once, through love, beauty, or fleeting youth, and never found again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2- The Burden of History<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ordinary young people forced into extraordinary choices simply because of the era they were born into.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3- The Persistence of Hope<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Even in devastation, acts of love and resistance give meaning to what remains.<\/p>\n<p>The staging blended naturalistic scenes with stylized physicality, creating a world shifting between memory, myth, and lived history.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2b50<\/strong><strong> Creative Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>By situating the novel\u2019s symbolic \u201clost domain\u201d in pre-1948 Palestine, the adaptation uncovers parallels between European literary myth and Palestinian lived reality, drawing a powerful line between universal longing and historical dispossession.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3034\" data-end=\"3048\"><strong data-start=\"3036\" data-end=\"3048\">Synopsis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" data-start=\"3050\" data-end=\"3064\"><strong data-start=\"3053\" data-end=\"3064\">ACT ONE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3065\" data-end=\"3391\">Francis, an aspiring young writer, forms an immediate bond with <strong data-start=\"3129\" data-end=\"3147\">Momin el Kbeer<\/strong>, a charismatic rebel whose appetite for adventure constantly lands him in trouble. After stealing a horse and cart, Momin wanders into unfamiliar territory and discovers a half-ruined Ottoman mansion hosting an extravagant wedding celebration.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3393\" data-end=\"3413\">There he encounters:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"3414\" data-end=\"3575\">\n<li data-start=\"3414\" data-end=\"3435\">\n<p data-start=\"3416\" data-end=\"3435\">masked performers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3436\" data-end=\"3472\">\n<p data-start=\"3438\" data-end=\"3472\">children in fantastical costumes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3473\" data-end=\"3504\">\n<p data-start=\"3475\" data-end=\"3504\">music, dance, and spectacle<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3505\" data-end=\"3575\">\n<p data-start=\"3507\" data-end=\"3575\">and <strong data-start=\"3511\" data-end=\"3521\">Navine<\/strong>, the mysterious girl who enchants him at first sight.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"3577\" data-end=\"3783\">But the celebration collapses abruptly:<br data-start=\"3616\" data-end=\"3619\" \/>Mohammed Jamjoon, son of the house, is abandoned by his Jewish-French fianc\u00e9e Valentine just as the British Mandate crumbles and Palestine descends toward conflict.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3785\" data-end=\"4217\">Uprooted and consumed by longing, Momin returns home determined to find his way back to the \u201clost land\u201d he briefly entered, a place that exists nowhere on any map.<br data-start=\"3949\" data-end=\"3952\" \/>His path crosses again with Jamjoon, now disguised as a performer and recruiting young fighters. He hands Momin Navine\u2019s address in Beirut, asking only for a vow:<br data-start=\"4114\" data-end=\"4117\" \/><strong data-start=\"4117\" data-end=\"4148\">One day, join the struggle.<\/strong><br data-start=\"4148\" data-end=\"4151\" \/>Momin sets off once more, another journey, another disappearance.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" data-start=\"4224\" data-end=\"4238\"><strong data-start=\"4227\" data-end=\"4238\">ACT TWO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4239\" data-end=\"4536\">In Beirut, Momin searches for Navine but instead meets a sympathetic French woman who has suffered her own heartbreak. Their brief romance shatters when he discovers her identity: <strong data-start=\"4419\" data-end=\"4439\">she is Valentine<\/strong>, Jamjoon\u2019s former fianc\u00e9e. Believing he has been deceived, he reacts violently and abandons her.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4538\" data-end=\"4864\">Meanwhile, Francis, now a teacher in a refugee camp, finds Navine living in poverty with her father.<br data-start=\"4640\" data-end=\"4643\" \/>In Jerusalem, Momin learns that Valentine has joined the Palestinian resistance, and his old friends are now committed to the political struggle. Filled with remorse, he resolves to reunite her with Jamjoon, even briefly.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4866\" data-end=\"5041\">Momin and Navine are finally reunited and married. But their joy is short-lived: he answers Jamjoon\u2019s call to arms and disappears again.<br data-start=\"5002\" data-end=\"5005\" \/>He returns one stormy night to find:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"5042\" data-end=\"5147\">\n<li data-start=\"5042\" data-end=\"5083\">\n<p data-start=\"5044\" data-end=\"5083\">his newborn daughter in Francis\u2019 arms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5084\" data-end=\"5113\">\n<p data-start=\"5086\" data-end=\"5113\">Navine dead in childbirth<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5114\" data-end=\"5147\">\n<p data-start=\"5116\" data-end=\"5147\">an uprising sweeping the land<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"5149\" data-end=\"5293\">Momin and his childhood companions join the revolt.<br data-start=\"5200\" data-end=\"5203\" \/>Amid the ruins, only one thing survives:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\" data-start=\"5149\" data-end=\"5293\"><strong data-start=\"5246\" data-end=\"5293\">Francis\u2019 book; the story of the Lost Land.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Cast<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Principal Roles<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ahmed Al-Rokh<\/strong> \u2013 Francis<\/li>\n<li><strong>Faisal Abu Al-heja<\/strong> \u2013 Momin el Kbeer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lamis Ammar<\/strong> \u2013 Navine Almasri<\/li>\n<li><strong>Saber Shreim<\/strong> \u2013 Mohammed Jamjoon Almasri<\/li>\n<li><strong>Micaela Miranda<\/strong> \u2013 Valentine \/ Ms. Sorrell \/ Biroo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Supporting Ensemble<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alaa Shehada<br \/>\nGr\u00e1innemir Abu Al-Rob<br \/>\nAnas Arqawi<br \/>\nAwad Ghannam<br \/>\nHala Farahat<br \/>\nMalak Al-Sadi<br \/>\nMotaz Malhees<br \/>\nSamah Mahmoud<\/p>\n<p><strong>Creative Team<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Artistic Director:<\/strong> Nabeel Al-Raee<br \/>\n<strong>Movement Director:<\/strong> Micaela Miranda<br \/>\n<strong>Director\u2019s Assistant:<\/strong> Qais Al-Sadi<br \/>\n<strong>Executive Producer:<\/strong> Jameyla Kiswani<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lighting:<\/strong> Mohammed Al-Sadi<br \/>\n<strong>Sound:<\/strong> Sami Al-Sadi<br \/>\n<strong>Stage Carpentry:<\/strong> Ahmad Matahen<br \/>\n<strong>Technical &amp; Logistics Manager:<\/strong> Adnan Naghnaghia<br \/>\n<strong>Props &amp; Costumes:<\/strong> Alia Al-Rosan<br \/>\n<strong>Publicity Design:<\/strong> Mohammed Moawia<br \/>\n<strong>Communications:<\/strong> Johanna Wallin<br \/>\n<strong>Script Translation:<\/strong> Fadi Abed Alkhaliq<\/p>\n<p><strong>Translation:<\/strong> Rewa\u2019 Attiyeh<\/p>\n<p><strong>Production Stage Manager:<\/strong> Alan Wright<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assistants Stage Manager: <\/strong>Mohammed Yousef, Habeeb Al-Raee, Ibrahem Naghnaghia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Front of House:<\/strong> Kamal Awad<\/p>\n<p><strong>Resource Development: <\/strong>Katja Kumar<\/p>\n<p><strong>Producer:<\/strong> Jonatan Stanczak<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The Freedom Theatre Production 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2b50<\/strong><strong> Production History<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The premiere of <em>Lost Land<\/em> opened to <strong>277 audience members<\/strong>, the theatre at full capacity, with many more turned away at the door. The production quickly drew audiences from Jenin, surrounding West Bank cities, and communities inside Palestine \u201948. Special performances were later scheduled for local schools.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2b50<\/strong><strong> Audience Response<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>A selection of audience impressions:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cOne of The Freedom Theatre\u2019s most ambitious works, emotionally overwhelming.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cEpic in scale, intimate in feeling.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cA haunting reflection of youth caught in the currents of history.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Performance Details<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Premiere Run:<br \/>\n<strong>November 21, 22, 23 &amp; 27, 2013<\/strong><br \/>\nTime: <strong>16:00<\/strong><br \/>\nVenue: <strong>The Freedom Theatre &#8211; Jenin Refugee Camp<\/strong><br \/>\nAdmission free; early arrival recommended.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2b50<\/strong><strong> Content Advisory<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This performance includes themes of war, displacement, loss, and historical violence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Support<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This production was supported by:<br \/>\nThe Swedish Postcode Lottery, The Consulate General of France in Jerusalem, The Roddick Foundation, and Sida (as part of PPAN).<br \/>\nPresented with appreciation for their commitment to cultural and artistic development in Palestine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Archival Note<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This publication serves as the official English documentation of <em>Lost Land<\/em>, preserving its artistic, historical, and educational value.<br \/>\nThe production remains a landmark in The Freedom Theatre\u2019s evolution, a moment when its creative community achieved the scale, depth, and ambition to reimagine a major literary work through a distinctly Palestinian lens.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57348\" src=\"http:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Lost-Land.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1344\" height=\"1600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Lost-Land.jpeg 1344w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Lost-Land-252x300.jpeg 252w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Lost-Land-860x1024.jpeg 860w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Lost-Land-768x914.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Lost-Land-1290x1536.jpeg 1290w, https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Lost-Land-10x12.jpeg 10w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1344px) 100vw, 1344px\" \/><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A New Stage Adaptation by The Freedom Theatre In cooperation with the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem World Premiere: November 21\u201323 &amp; 27, 2013 \u2014 The Freedom Theatre, Jenin Refugee Camp Production Highlights A quick snapshot of what defines this production at a glance: Based on Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier Three generations of [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-theatre-productions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8871","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8871"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57352,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8871\/revisions\/57352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefreedomtheatre.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}