The Freedom Theater presents this passionate retelling of the story of the 2002 siege of Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, during the height of the second intifada. More…
Drawn from interviews with survivors, 'The Siege' is told from the point of view of some of the armed Palestinian fighters who found refuge in the church. Along with 200 civilians, they were given sanctuary by the church’s resident priests and nuns and spent 39 days there with dwindling food, water, and medical supplies. While the world watched, the fighters grappled with survival, ideology, and the decision to continue the struggle to the end, or surrender. Performed in Arabic with English subtitles.
See it if you want intense drama about a lesser-known event in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Strong acting in taut (albeit repetitive) play.
Don't see it if you're not prepared for intense rage, violence, and despair among those under siege -- or a play in Arabic with English supertitles.
Also Tech needs to better sync spoken Arabic dialogue with the running of t... Read more Read less
See it if you're interested in a better understand of political, historical events affected by deep rooted conflicts. Play humanizes the situation.
Don't see it if you're turned off by biased political discourses or need a lot of action
See it if you want to see a totally fresh take on a familiar political standoff -- from a different point of view.
Don't see it if you are not prepared to shed stereotypes and change your western tunnel vision about the middle east.
See it if you like one dimensional characters who spout cliches while having to read subtitles that don't keep up with the script.
Don't see it if you want a dramatic play with characters of depth, understanding their motivations beyond superficial declarations.
See it if you want to see a realistic and recent portrayal of what living and fighting through war is like.
Don't see it if you're not into theatre in another language about hot-button political topics.
See it if you want to learn a little about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Don't see it if you're looking to be deeply moved or get a new perspective from Palestinians