Harakat Productions and Sumud Ensemble present ASRA: Stories of Palestinian Prisoners

Through puppetry and audience participation, this documentary theatre production explores the stories of asra or Palestinian prisoners.
Before October 7th 2024, there were around 9,400 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli Prisons.

This included 200 child prisoners as well as 3,661 held under ‘administrative detention’ – a procedure that allows Israeli occupation forces to hold prisoners indefinitely without charge on undisclosed information.

Despite thousands of Palestinians being arrested under the Israeli occupation, we hear little about the stories of Palestinian prisoners and how they endure and resist Israel’s carceral system.

Using puppetry and audience participation, this documentary theatre production explores the experiences of Palestinian prisoners and the importance of thaqafah (ثقافة) or culture, such as literature, poetry, and songs, as practices of resistance and liberation. In the Arabic language captivity (أسر) refers to the capture of prisoners of war and is an explicit term for prisoners taken by a foreign power or in a colonial context.

Palestinian prisoners detained and arrested by the Israeli military occupation are referred to as captives, asra (أسرى). This experimental documentary production explores the stories of asra or Palestinian prisoners.

WHEN: 3 - 6 September, 2026
WHERE: Te Pou Theatre, Henderson
TICKETS: https://www.tepoutheatre.nz/asra-stories-of-palestinian-prisoners/