ÜBER FRANCOIS

The Palestinian National Theatre (Palestinian Territories), suite42 (Germany), TAK Theater im Aufbau Haus (Germany)

The archive on the life and work of the French-Palestinian actor, author, and director Francois Abou Salem serves as the basis for an interdisciplinary theatre performance. It will address both his life and the social and political implications of his work. Another reference point of the performance is the two-person version of the myth of Gilgamesh, which Abou Salem coproduced with Amer Khalil in 2004. Two aspects are central to this: on the one hand, until the signing of the Oslo Peace Agreement the theatre-makers were virtually the ambassadors of Palestine until 1993, on the other hand, Abou Salem immensely broadened the Palestinian audience’s horizons by addressing extremely provocative issues. This not only earned him admiration, but he was also met with considerable resistance. 

Concept: Amer Khalil, Lydia Ziemke, Stefan Stern | Text: Lydia Ziemke, Stefan Stern and Ensemble | Stage Direction: Lydia Ziemke, Muna Basha (Assistant) | Dramaturgy: Stefan Stern | With: Fatima Abu Alul, Mays Assi, Muhamad Basha, Lucy Ellinson, Ala Abu Gharbieh, Amer Khalil, Valentin Schmehl | Stage & Costume Design: Claire Schirck, Rawan Abu Ghosh (Assistant) | Light & Technical Support: Ramzi El Sheik Qassem, Imad Samara | Sound & Administrative Crew of the Theatre: Jamila Abed Rabboh, William Theodori, Huda Al Imam | Production Management: Georgina Asfour, Laura Werres | Translation: Raed Samara | Produced by: Palestinian National Theatre- El Hakawati | Funded by: Goethe-Institut (International Coproduction Fund)