Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Edwar Muallem (1958-) is a Palestinian actor and theater director , born in the village of Ma'iliya in the Upper Galilee . He holds a BA in Theater Arts from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1980. He is one of the founders of the Hakawati Theater Group in 1977. He worked to establish the Hakawati Theater in 1984 with a group of Palestinian theater artists such as François Abu Salem , Jackie Lubeck, Adnan Tarabsheh, Muhammad Mahameed, and Talal Hamada. He was one of the founders of the Ashtar Foundation for Theater Production and Training in 1991 with theater artist Iman Aoun, and served as the organization's general manager until 2021. He was chosen as the Cultural Personality of the Year for the year 2024, by announcement from the Palestinian Ministry of Culture, for his rich artistic career and his role in making theater a center of artistic struggle.
His artistic contributions
He participated in all theatrical productions and tours of the local and international " Al-Hakawati " troupe between 1977 and 1990, including "Mahgoub Mahgoub," "The Story of the Eye and the Tooth," and "The Tale of Kafr Shema." After separating from Al-Hakawati Theater, he worked on establishing Ashtar Theater in 1990, and was a theater trainer, actor, and director in dozens of plays produced by the theater until 2023, including "The Martyrs Return," "Something is Lost," "The Time of Whales," "Richard II," the "Abu Shaker Affairs" series of platform plays, and the legislative play "Mona's Tale."
The artist Edward supervised many training workshops with school students and drama teachers in hundreds of government and private schools, UNRWA schools, and youth clubs in Palestine. He also participated in and trained in many Arab and international training workshops in Tunisia, Jordan, the United States , Germany, Sweden, and long-term courses in Iraq and Norway .
Edward Moallem participated in the Crosscurrents Festival as part of the Political Theatre Lab program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., alongside theatre professionals and graduate students in performing arts from Palestine, Syria , India, Colombia, Cambodia, Zimbabwe, and the United States. He presented a play entitled 48 Minutes for Palestine by British director and writer Mojisola Adebayo, which was attended by a group of university students.
His artistic contributions
Developing the idea of the platform theatre, which is Ashtar's experience, within the framework of its application of its theory of the theatre of the oppressed, Ashtar benefited from this idea through its performances of the series of plays "Abu Shaker's Affairs". The aim of the idea revolves around reaching the oppressed and silent segments of society and areas connected to the daily and living aspects of people's lives. Ashtar produced four plays in this genre, and presented more than 230 performances in all Palestinian regions and some Arab countries.
Launching the biennial Theatre of the Oppressed Festival in 2007.
Building a collaboration with the world-renowned Brazilian playwright and specialist in the Theatre of the Oppressed, Gusto Boal, and director Barbara Santos for three consecutive years to develop this type of theatre, and Ashtar Theatre has become a pioneer and specialist in Palestine and the Middle East .
Activating school theatre in order to qualify drama teachers in UNRWA schools over a period of 8 months, and 60 UNRWA schools participated in this programme.”
Launching the interactive theatre project as a tool for social change, with support from the European Union within the framework of the Med Culture regional programme
Directing a number of plays, such as “Dust and Purple” and “Machine and Hammer”
His publications
Edward Moallem's work was not limited to theatrical activity, as he wrote many books about Palestinian theatre, which filled part of the large gap in the history of the Palestinian theatre movement, especially the modern period. Among these publications:
The book “The Palestinian Storyteller Theatre Troupe” documents texts and photos from the troupe’s first plays, specifically in the period between 1978 and 1985, the first of which was the play “In the Name of the Father, Mother and Son” in 2020.
Texts of platform plays: Ishtar Theatre - Palestine.
Training Manual in Theatre Techniques, Publisher : UNFPA State of Palestine, 2019.
From the Circle to the Void, a Journey Towards Creativity - Ramallah: Ishtar for Theatre Production and Training, 2004.
Translation of two books, "Games for Theatrical and Non-Theatrical Professionals" and "Legislative Theatre," by Brazilian playwright Augusto Boal.
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Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
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