How theatre offers a deeper lens on Gaza's untold realities

Theatre has a unique power to make us see the world differently. It takes stories we might otherwise read in a headline and gives us time to sit with them, to feel their impact and consider the lives behind them. Through words, music and movement, theatre can make distant events feel closer, not by telling us what to think, but by asking us to look again.

I was reminded of this at the opening night of AGAIN in Doha. I left thinking about a father who walked 25 miles to reach his daughter, people waiting at a border crossing in the hope of seeing their loved ones again, and a mother who lost both her sons in a missile strike during prayer time. Sitting beside a fellow mother of two boys, I felt the full force of that last story. We could not imagine the scale of her loss, but we understood the love at its heart.

Based on the writing of Palestinian author Sondos Sabra, some of which are published in Voices of Resistance: Diaries of Genocide (Comma Press), AGAIN brings her experiences to the stage through the music, movement and storytelling of South Africa’s Isango Ensemble.

The production explores Palestinian experiences through the eyes of artists whose work draws on South Africa’s own history of oppression and resistance. It is a meeting of voices and experiences, using theatre to share stories that deserve to be heard.

We hear about Gaza every day. We see the numbers, the images and the headlines. Yet there is a difference between knowing that families are being separated and imagining what it means to wait, not knowing when you will see someone you love again.

That difference came into sharp focus through Sondos’ stories. She writes about waiting for border crossings to open, hoping to be reunited with loved ones, only to have those plans postponed. Recounting her father walking 25 miles to reach her, only for events to change again.

A postponed crossing is a news update. A father walking miles to reach his daughter is a story about love, fear and the lengths people will go to be together. Both reach us in different ways.

The story of the mother who lost both of her sons was especially painful. As a mother myself, I found it almost impossible to contemplate. Sitting alongside someone who shared that immediate connection, I felt how quickly a story can move beyond the stage and become deeply personal.

We did not need to know that mother to feel the weight of her grief. Nor could we claim to understand it. But the performance gave us time to consider her as a person, rather than another name in a report of lives lost.

Another striking moment came from watching Sondos’ husband, who is also from Gaza and left eight years ago, as actors brought his wife's experiences to life. For the audience, this was a performance. For him, the memories were tied to someone he loves. It was a powerful reminder that the people behind these stories are not distant figures. They are our partners, parents, children and friends.

I do not believe theatre can replace journalism. We need reporters to establish facts, document events and hold those in power to account. But when one devastating headline follows another, it can become hard to take in the human cost of what we are reading. Theatre gives us a reason to stop and listen.

It cannot fully explain the experience of war or displacement, nor can one production tell the full story of Palestine. What it can do is remind us that people living through terrible events still have families, friendships, memories and hopes for the future. They are not defined only by what has happened to them.

There is also something important about the international collaboration behind AGAIN. It brings Palestinian writing together with the artistic traditions of Isango Ensemble. South Africa’s history of apartheid and resistance creates points of connection with Palestinian experiences, particularly around oppression, freedom and human dignity. These histories are not the same, but there is value in artists drawing on their own experiences to help tell the stories of others.

The collaboration grew from conversations at Sharjah Art Foundation’s March Meeting in the UAE, which led to an introduction between Qatar Museums, UK-based creative producer Third Version Creative and South Africa’s Isango Ensemble. This connection led to Qatar Museums commissioning AGAIN, and presenting the work in Doha in association with Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. 

It is a reminder of what arts and culture can achieve. A conversation can lead to a partnership, bringing artists from different backgrounds together to share a story with people who might never otherwise encounter it. Sondos’ words have travelled from her own experiences to a stage in Doha, carried by performers from South Africa.

Theatre cannot reunite families or undo loss. Its power is more modest, but still important. It asks us to give another person’s experience our attention, even when we cannot fully understand it. The news tells us what is happening. Theatre asks us to consider what it means for the people living through it. Sometimes, that pause is where understanding begins.

AGAIN is showing at Abdulaziz Nasser Theatre, Ali bin Abdullah Street, Souq Waqif, Doha, until October 31.

Nicola Craddock is a digital marketing expert and freelance writer specialising in arts and culture. She is based in Dubai.