Stiftelsen The Freedom Theatre c/o Jonatan Stanczak
Agostigen 5163 44 SPANGASWED
516 34 Stockholm
Sweden
- Arts
Stiftelsen The Freedom Theatre Foundation was established in 2006. The Theatre programme contains activities that introduce particularly the young generation to theatre and drama, providing them with important tools for dealing with the hardships of daily life under Occupation.
There is a Board (working on a voluntary basis) and one employee. The foundation is a partner of The Freedom Theatre association in Palestine with 20 employees.
Sources of funding: SIDA, UNFPA, Skoll Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, ArtVenture and friendship association around the world.
Main partners: Academy of mime and acting in Stockholm, University of Stage and Music in Gothenburg, Friends of TFT in Sweden.
Main activities: Theatre performances, cinema screenings, theatre and drama therapy, multimedia (IT, photography, journalism, film making), and a professional acting school. All activities aimed at children and youth.
The objectives of Stiftelsen The Freedom Theatre Foundation is to build and run a theatre/cultural centre in Jenin refugee camp that will be open to a range of cultural, artistic and social activities for the benefit of children’s psychosocial development. The Freedom Theatre aims to demonstrate a model of artistic excellence in theatre in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and, using the creative process as a model for social change, provide opportunities for the children and youth of Jenin Refugee Camp to develop the skills, self-knowledge and confidence which would empower them to challenge present realities and to take control of their future.
The Freedom Theatre offers a range of cultural activities, including drama workshops, theatre performances, a three-year professional Theatre School and training in stage management, photography, filmmaking and creative writing.
Our professional training programmes aim to build long-term capacity in the field of theatre and drama, and produce in-house theatre plays that tour locally and internationally. We also run theatre workshops for children and youth that introduce the young generation to theatre and provide them with powerful tools for dealing with the hardships of daily life under occupation.
In 2008, The Freedom Theatre launched the first, professional educational programme in acting in the northern part of the West Bank. Today, two classes of acting students have graduated and a third has just begun. Many of the former graduates are involved in The Freedom Theatre or other cultural venues as actors, teachers and project leaders.
The Freedom Bus project is an initiative of The Freedom Theatre that uses interactive theatre and cultural activism to bear witness, raise awareness and build alliances throughout occupied Palestine and beyond. Initiated in 2011, the Freedom Bus has carried out five annual Freedom Rides to some of the key sites of oppression and resistance in the West Bank, gathering internationals and Palestinians who come to learn from and engage in solidarity actions with community members.
Within the Multimedia programme, we aim to encourage young women and men in Jenin to explore new forms of creative self-expression through film, photography and creative writing. More intensive training is also offered to trainees who develop skills in teaching others.