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.”
This is not the first time that someone criticized Mutir’s work. “Society doesn’t accept my career and will not accept it. I consider it a hobby more than anything else,” she told Al-Monitor.
She said one of the biggest opponents of her career is her father. “He attended two of my performances. I felt that he was proud and happy, but he turns against me when he hears relatives criticize me,” she said, adding that her husband supports her and always watches her performances.
