ASHTAR is an award winning theatre company. The first theatre training organization for youth in Palestine established in 1991. ASHTAR’s experience is built over three artistic pillars; Youth Theatre, Social Theatre, and Professional Theatre. 

ASHTAR aims to empower young women and men in cities, villages, and refugee camps, in urban and remote areas in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. It introduces new ideas and perspectives of social change, while developing the skills and technical capacities of young theatre students and professionals, providing them a vital space for innovation and creativity.

ASHTAR Theatre specializes in the technique of Forum Theatre founded by the Brazilian Director Augusto Boal, which aims at spreading effective dialogue and commitment for change within society. This theatre form stimulates the audience to interact with the actors on stage about important social and political issues, transforming the audience from being receivers to becoming participators. Through the use of Forum Theatre, ASHTAR stands as an active agent of change in Palestine.

AIYTF, is the result of long years of cultural networking with the international theatre world. AIYTF, was first created in 2012, and it takes place every other year. It was launched after touring with “The Gaza Monologues” around the world. AIYTF, is also about ASHTAR’s pedagogical approach towards youth theatre formation.Theatre training for youth is a tool to enhance their creativity and provide them with new possibilities and engage them in the process of self-awareness, identity assertion and social change. Therefore, it is vital to give them a platform to allow them to feel that they have ownership over their life. Help them experience decision making, and invest in their professional relationships. This is why young people are at the centre stage, in the planning, implementation and evaluation process of the festival.

AIYTF is an opportunity for mutual cultural learning between participants. Constructive dialogue and freedom of expression, is at the heart of the encounter, raising social awareness and responsibility of youth towards our world. AIYTF is an artistic celebration, a human sharing and an eye-opening experience for participants and the audience.

The festival aims this year to give youth a free platform to express their artistic potential and their mission towards the importance of freedom of speech, the use of art as a human right, and to explore their ideas and vision in a safe space. As well as to question the political, economic and social situation in public, in order to pave a way towards a new artistic horizon and social change.

The festival will host fourteen performances, a conference on ‘Freedom of Speech’, daily workshops and different social events, and it will end with a performance parade in the streets of Ramallah. The festival will host ten local theatre companies and youth groups in addition to six internationally recognized theatre companies from the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Egypt, Romania, Pakistan and the United States. They will perform and conduct workshops.

In addition to participating in the conferences and activities, Teater Agrell will perform in Ramallah for the local and international audiences.