Gaza theaters battle censorship, conservatism
A lack of female performers, the siege and close monitoring by the Hamas government has resulted in a dwindling Gaza theater industry.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The joy of stage performance and creativity made actress Wala Mutir, 27, smile as she greeted the crowd in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. She played the leading role in “Scenes from Christine’s Heart,” a play adapted from the play “Mourning Becomes Electra” by Eugene O’Neill.
But Mutir’s happiness is not complete. After all, she’s an actress in a conservative place: Gaza. A young man in the audience stood up and objected by saying, “We are in a society that doesn’t accept plays that incite women to reveal their feelings.”
