Alone we stand
The Project
a project by Al-Harah Theater (Palestine)
in partnership with Teatro dell’Argine and Oxfam Italy
March 1st 2013 - January 31st 2014
with support from the European Commission - Cultural Activities Programme ENPI 2012
Alone We Stand: addressing women loneliness through theater and cross-cultural exchange between Palestine and Italy is an intercultural project, realized through theatre and research activities, focused on the issue of woman condition in Palestine and on the possible change of women’s role in society through creativity and the arts.
Activities
Project activities include:
- interviewing single (unmarried, widow, divorced) Palestinian women over 30;
- theatre workshops to facilitate women’s free expression;
- meetings with associations, universities and communities to raise awareness on the main issue;
- an exchange visit in Palestine by Teatro dell’Argine’s artists, in particular director Pietro Floridia, set designer Gabriele Silva and videomaker Fulvio Rifuggio;
- production of a theatre show on the main issue (realized during the exchange visit);
- tour of the show in about 15 centres in the West Bank.
The show
One of the main activities of Alone We Stand was creating a show on women’s condition in the Arab countries, particularly single women over 30.
Unmarried or divorced women as well as widows are often seen as a problem and segregated at home; they’re not allowed to go out of their city by themselves or start a career. An experience lived also by Al-Harah Theater’s director Marina Barham, who has been fighting since years to be a 40 years old independent woman.
Show script was written after a long preliminary stage of research and interviews not only with women in the above mentioned conditions, but to their families, neighbours, people from their communities as well, in order to unveil their thoughts, reasons, behaviours.
The aim is twofold: raise awareness on women’s condition in the public opinion and spread the idea that theatre has an essential role in the cultural growth of a society.
Final result was the show Shakespeare’s Sisters, premiering on December 30th 2013 at the National Center for Culture and Arts\King Hussein Arjan Area, in Amman, Jordan.
The plot: Samira is a forty years old university professor, living by herself as a single woman, and dedicating her life to teaching and research in the field of literature. One night, Samira is confronted by another woman, Nisma, who bursts into her home in what seems like a nightmare: Nisma is a rebellious woman with many dreams and ambitions in fashion design and with a strong and modern concept of women’s rights and freedom. They become friends and Nisma lives for a short while at Samira’s house, but that’s enough to turn the professor’s life upside down and lead her along with other women on a journey to discover a different possible life style, giving women the natural right to live in equality and justice. Where do Nisma and Samira reach in this new world?
written directed and by Pietro Floridia
arabic script: Mirna Sakhleh
actors: Adeeb Safadi, Mirna Sakhleh, Raeda Ghazaleh, Reem Talhamy
set designer: Gabriele Silva
sound technician: Aissam Rishmawi
video editor: Fulvio Rifuggio
Video
Keywords
Marco
Micaela casalboni
tessuti
arginebox
Marco Baliani
pluriversità
cappuccetto rosso
Teatrobus
marta
cardone
paolo fronticelli
romanzo
stefano salerno
Corso base
corso di tessuti
paolucci
mattei
itc studio
tassinari
candido
censimento
stage di regia
CuraUgualeFamiglia
corso di tessuti aerei
gocciolina
un bes
lampedusa mirrors
Marco Falsetti
aperitivo con il critico
Andrea Paolucci