ASHTAR - Forum Theatre
Abu Shaker’s Affairs 2001

Poverty, ignorance and siege are motivations to run after the desirable and tumbling into the “Shabak” traps. Immunity cannot be had by words and negligence is its archenemy. Immunity needs a strong foundation, well protected by various sectors of society; the family, the school and even the social institutions have their role as much as the law and the social norms have. “Shaker is a 13 year old guy who lives in a Palestinian refugee camp - his father is unemployed since the beginning of the current Intifada because of the continuous military closures. He got on the streets to sell chewing gum. Here, the occupation authorities arrested him. They exploited him. Being naive, weak and wanting, he was turned into a collaborator. They extracted information form him that led to the killing of his friend.” Written by: The Team Dramaturgy: Edward Muallem Directed by: Mojisola Adebayo Associate Director: Edward Muallem Actors: Iman Aoun, Munira Zureiki, Raed Al Ayasa, Walid Abed El Salam, Shadi Zmorrod, Mohammad Eid Scenography and Poster Design: Majed Azubaidy Technician: Atallah Tarazi Produced by: ASHTAR Theatre - 2001 Co-produced by: CARE International

Ashtar has been, and I hope will continue to be, a hugely important theatre company, which has had a great impact on my work and has inspired and ignited great interest in the UK ad Ireland. My experience of teaching and making Forum Theatre with Ashtar was challenging, stimulating and memorable. I was impressed by Ashtar’s dedication to dealing with difficult issues, your desire to push creative boundaries, your commitment to the community and to your country, your passion for performance, your energy, enthusiasm and tireless hard work. I have not only enjoyed working with Ashtar from an artistic angle but have always felt the administrative and technical support to be excellent. As we say in London - Big up yourselves! As we say in Dublin - Fair play to you! As they say in South Africa - Amandla Awethu - the future is yours! Ashtar Theatre - VIVA Mojisola Adebayo - London, 2001 Since 1996 we have followed the activities of Ashtar Theatre. Ashtar combines a high level of professionalism with a strong social responsibility. They continuously strive for deepening their artistic work by finding new challenges. They develop their work with new texts, new partners, and by the evaluation of their internal experiments and experiences. Parallel to this they develop their pedagogical work and they strive to reach a new audience. Young as well as grown - ups, in villages as well as in festivals. They transform actual and important issues into engaging and exciting theatre. For us it is an honor, a privilege and a pleasure to follow the Ashtar theatre on their ongoing adventure. Nini RydsjÖ and Boel HÖ jeberg Dramatiska Institutet-Stockholm, 2001