The Gaza Monologues: Written by Palestinian Teens, Performed Worldwide

This Sunday, October 17—in forty cities, in thirty different countries—a single play will be staged: “The Gaza Monologes.”

The play, written by Palestinian youth as part of a drama-therapy initiative, will be performed by young people in cities worldwide: in Gaza City, Ramallah, Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Stockholm, Ghent, Vancouver, Harare, Beijing, Sydney, and many others. (See a complete list of cities and venues.)

The play was composed by children ages of 14 and 18 who are undergoing training with the Ashtar Theatre in Gaza. Project director Robert McLaren told The Zimbabwe Herald: “It will show the children of Gaza that there are children in other countries who care for them.”

According to the Gaza Monologues website:

Gaza will be the starting point; at eleven in the morning the initial group will inaugurate the event by reciting their monologues on the sea shore and sending them out as paper boats to the world through the sea.

Then, on November 29, each partnering country will send one young actor to New York for a recital in all participating languages to be performed at the United Nations.

ASHTAR Theatre’s Artistic Director, Iman Aoun, talks about the project: