Statement on behalf of the ISTR Executive Committee
‘The choice of witnessing to document and express is not an obvious choice. It’s a choice of courage, it’s a choice of connection, it’s a choice of humanity, it’s a choice of vulnerability’— Ashtar Theatre.
As the world bears witness to the atrocities, injustices, and trauma of war in Palestine and Israel, and to the ongoing suffering of Palestinian communities, particularly those in Gaza, the ISTR committee joins the global call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Since October 2023, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 1,139 people in Israel. The committee condemns all acts of violence and calls for peace and the upholding of international law in the region.
As a group of scholars, students, educators, and practitioners, we wish to act in solidarity with Palestinian artists and academics, who continue to create in the most adverse of circumstances, and we will use the ISTR platform to amplify and circulate Palestinian theatre and culture.
Other statements from organisations in the theatre community
- International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM):
Statement from the IETM Board of Directors on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian war - Project Arts Centre:
A statement from Project Arts Centre - Theatre Forum:
Statement From Theatre Forum Board of Directors & Executive Team