TAHA is arriving to Paris

In 2014, “Taha” the play was launched in Haifa and began the journey of one of the most successful Palestinian theatrical performances in the last 30 years, if not the most successful ever. The play met with great success at the Palestinian level, as its performances included dozens of Palestinian cities and villages in all regions, from Haifa to Jerusalem and Jaffa, to Ramallah and Nazareth, to Nablus and Jenin, and many, many different places. It also began a tour of performances in Arab countries, including Jordan, Qatar and Algeria.

In 2015, the theater program of the Sundance institute chose the play “Taha” to be among 10 theatrical projects being developed in the organization’s well-known annual laboratory, which receives more than a thousand submissions annually from all over the world, and the English version of the play’s text was developed there.

In 2017, The English version of “Taha” opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and this opening was the beginning of a major tour of shows around the world. The show moved from Washington to London at the “Young Vic” theater, where the play gave 15 well received and very successful performances by all standards. wonderful reviews in the most important British press (see below some links). The play was then presented at the Edinburgh Festival, the largest performing arts festival in the world, and won the Best production award from the Asia Awards. After that, the play was presented in theaters and important festivals in the world such as: the International Arts Festival in Singapore, the Adelaide Festival- Australia, the international Theater Festival in Lithuania, The Arts Center in Melbourne, Australia (where Amer Hlehel was nominated for Best Theater Actor in the Helpmann awards - Australia in 2018), the City Theater in Stockholm, the Bozar Center in Belgium, the Palestinian Film Festival in Toronto- Canada, national tour throughout Sweden 2020 With the Riks Theater and other international theaters and festivals.

Reviews

“Amer Hlehel's TAHA is a dramatic & lyrical tour de force. Hlehel's epic account of Taha Mohammed Ali's coming of age and coming to poetry against all odds is a delight for the mind and nourishment for the heart.”  2013 Pulitzer Prize winner AYAD AKHTAR.

******

Anchored by his own excellent text, Amer Hlehel is splendid as Taha. He is funny, earnest, perceptive and irrepressible. The dailyreview, Australia.

https://dailyreview.com.au/palestinian-voices-adelaide-festival-azza-haha-theatre-reviews/72736/

****

It’s a rich, vivid monologue about a family’s struggle to survive the Nakba, or Catastrophe, of the 1948 Palestine War. Simply beautiful.  The Times, London.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/theatre-review-taha-at-the-young-vic-se1-6vnvwj6vs

****

Delicate, deeply affecting piece. It's a tale of loss, borne with resilience, hope and humour. warmly recommended. The Independent, London.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/taha-young-vic-london-review-the-evolution-of-a-palestinian-poet-a7833026.html

****

Amer Hlehel, gentle and appealing in Amir Nizar Zuabi’s calmly focused production, performs his own rich script. The Evening Standard, London.

https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/taha-theatre-review-pure-poetry-blossoms-in-deceptively-simple-show-a3681756.html

*****

All in all, TAHA is a memorable and moving celebration of a powerful voice in the ongoing struggle for sovereignty, dignity and freedom in Palestine.   The Skinny, Edenborough

http://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh-fringe/theatre/taha-summerhall

AMER HLEHEL

“Amer Hlehel is one of the very best in his profession - capturing the audience in a big bear hug. He could convincingly bring to life a waffle recipe, an Ikea instruction note, an advertising letter.” This is how the Swedish journalist Henric Tiselius describes Palestinian Actor, playwright and director AMER HLEHEL.

Amer is best known for his unique works in Theater and Cinema, they include the international production of the play “TAHA” (written and performed by Hlehel), which won the Best Production- Asian arts award- Edinburgh 2017, and he was nominated for the best theater actor in the prestigious Helpman awards in Australian 2018. He has appeared in numerous productions, including as Caliban in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” in David Farr’s production at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-on-Avon; as Abu Altayib in “Goats” at The Royal Court Theatre, London; as Yusuf in “I am Yusuf and This is My Brother” by Amir Nizar Zuabi at the Young Vic (London), He has also performed as Diab in “Diab” (Award for Best Actor and Best Solo Performance at the Masraheed Festival, 2005, Acre). 

Hlehel’s film work includes films: The Silver lion (Venice festival 2025) winner and Golden Globes, Bafta and the Oscars nominated “The Voice Of Hind Rajab” the Golden Globe award-winning “Paradise Now”, the best script winner at Cannes festival -un certain regard category- “Mediterranean Fever” 2022, “Tel Aviv On Fire”, “Personal Affairs”, “The Idol”, “The Time that Remains”, “Amreeka” and more. Hlehel is a Sundance Institute Theatre Program alumnus.