Palestinian playwright and actor Amer Hlehel never dreamed he would be able to perform his latest work to audiences in London and America, let alone as far as Australia.
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This week Taha – a lyrical story about the life of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali – opens on the South Coast and will include one show performed solely in Arabic.
It is one of a diverse selection of productions making up the Merrigong 2018 season which will see the reprise of the Spiegeltent, a live horror show and a Roald Dahl’s children’s book come to life on stage.
It’s not just a political story, it’s a human story - you don’t have to pick a side.
- Amer Hlelel
Adapted from Adina Hoffman's book (My Happiness Bears No Relation to Happiness) and based on the poet’s works, Taha documents hopeful survival after 50 years of loss – loss of his home, his lover, his friends and his shop in Saffuriyeh in Galilee.
Originally written for Middle Eastern audiences, Hlelel said he had reservations about how people from the west would react to it. His concerns dissolved after much acclaim, including at the Adelaide Fringe Festival last week.
“The response was amazing again. The people connect with the play and engaged with the play. It’s an amazing feeling, it’s a big gift when you perform and people engage to your work,” he said.
“I feel the world now is … more open to hear the story – because it’s not just a political story, it’s a human story. You don’t have to pick a side, you just pick up a good human story, a good experience story.”
Choosing the arts as a career path in Palestine has been a “fight” from the beginning, Hlelel said. But he said seeing people appreciate his “art” has made it all worthwhile.
“You’re not just doing your job you’re doing more and it’s becoming a life,” he said.