Theatre for Palestine: DEADLIFT الحَمّالون

• Date: 27 September
• Time: 20:00 - 22:00
• Location: Theater aan het Spui

Palestinian theatre performance DEADLIFT
Al Harah Theater – Boy Jonkergouw Productions

DEADLIFT الحَمّالون

A Palestinian–Dutch performance about human resilience

New York, Avignon, Dublin: the intense, cinematic theatre work of Palestinian director Bashar Murkus is conquering international stages. His new, visual performance, DEADLIFT الحَمّالون, is a unique collaboration between the Palestinian theatre company Al-Harah from Palestine and Boy Jonkergouw Productions from the Netherlands.

Murkus draws inspiration from a painting by Palestinian artist Suleiman Mansour, Jamal Al Mahamel, which depicts a man carrying an entire city (Jerusalem) on his back. In DEADLIFT الحَمّالون, Murkus explores how much a human being can bear. Where is the breaking point? When does the struggle against destruction turn into an act of destruction itself? With a Palestinian cast, DEADLIFT offers a poetic tribute to the resilience of people in need. The performance is created partly in Palestine and partly in the Netherlands. The music was composed in Palestine by Wouter de Belder.

‘Sumud’

Jamal Al Mahamel (Camel of Burdens) is of iconic value for Palestinians. It is the ultimate expression of what Palestinians call sumud – the art of survival. The painting shows a wandering figure in an endless void, barefoot, in worn-out clothes, defying the bitterness of daily existence and the constant experience of loss. A story that not only refers to millions of Palestinian refugees, but also to displaced people all over the world.

Al-Harah Theater is based in Beit Jalaa, working to build and preserve a society where human rights, democracy, and freedom of expression are central. Boy Jonkergouw Productions creates, produces, and presents theatre focused on human rights and social justice.

This performance is part of a weekend-long program at Theater aan het Spui centered on Palestine. They give the stage to the voices and stories of Palestinian (and Dutch) theatre makers, using the theatre as a space for solidarity, humanity, and hope.

All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated, in collaboration with the makers, to the Palestinian Arts and Culture Solidarity Collective.

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