Gaza Actors Turn Real-Life War Experiences into Stage Play
Palestinian actors in Gaza have transformed their wartime experiences into a stage production titled "50 Minutes in Gaza," performing amidst ongoing conflict. The play, which began as a writing workshop in April 2026 supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, initially involved 14 young participants. However, the war led to injuries, displacement, and some participants leaving Gaza for treatment, reducing the group to eight.
These remaining participants decided to perform the play themselves, basing it on their real-life experiences and observations during the war. Rehearsals took place in makeshift settings, including tents in a cultural center's parking lot and a small room in a damaged building, with unstable electricity and limited resources. Actors often walked long distances to attend, using available materials for props and relying on a mobile phone for music.
The play's narrative closely mirrors the actors' lives, making some scenes particularly harrowing. Abu Qusai Qaddoura, a former production manager and sound engineer, portrays a doctor in a scene inspired by a real tragedy involving an infant. During a rehearsal, he broke down crying, overwhelmed by the scene's resemblance to his own children. Tamer Najm, 35, plays a man trapped in a hospital during his wife's high-risk pregnancy, a situation echoing Najm's own displacement and the birth of his second child during the war.
The premiere was held at the Al-Qattan Cultural Foundation center in Gaza City on July 19, with an audience of about 150 attending free of charge. The actors wore simple clothes gathered from displacement tents, and the performance proceeded despite the constant threat of power outages and nearby shelling. The play lasted approximately 50 minutes, conveying themes of fear, loss, displacement, and family protection to an audience sharing similar circumstances.
The troupe continued to perform "50 Minutes in Gaza" throughout late July and August in various locations across Gaza, including Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, where one show reportedly drew over 500 attendees in a repurposed wedding hall. Director Ali Abu Yassin emphasized that damaged theaters do not halt artistic expression, as performances can continue in streets or any available space, turning the production into a vital outlet for expression amidst the war.
