Yes Theatre,
where every story begins with a child
We are Yes Theatre. We believe a child who hasonce stood on a stage will never fearstanding before the world. So we make atheatre that looks like its own people, and we sayyes to the story, and yes to every child who asks to be heard.
Our Events
The Little Stage:
an acting workshop for children
The Little Stage:an acting workshop for children
From Text to Stage:
a playwriting workshop
From Text to Stage:a playwriting workshop
Voices of Tomorrow:
an evening from children to children
Voices of Tomorrow:an evening from children to children
كَانَتْ بَسْمَلَةُ أَصْغَرَ إِخْوَتِهَا الْأَرْبَعَةِ وَوَحِيدَتَهُمْ، يَطْلُبُونَ مِنْهَا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ: الطَّعَامَ وَالشَّايَ وَتَنْظِيفَ الْأَحْذِيَةِ، وَإِنْ تَأَخَّرَتْ شَتَمُوهَا أَوْ ضَرَبُوهَا.
وَذَاتَ يَوْمٍ طَلَبَ مِنْهَا أَخُوهَا عَدْلِي أَنْ تُحْضِرَ قَمِيصَهُ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْغَسِيلِ، وَبَيْنَمَا هِيَ فِي الْبَاحَةِ سَمِعَتْ هَمْسًا: «بَسْمَلَةُ… أَنَا السُّلَّمُ، اصْعَدِينِي وَلَا تَخَافِي». صَعِدَتْ بِحَذَرٍ، فَوَجَدَتْ فِي الْأَعْلَى طَائِرَةً أُرْجُوَانِيَّةً وَرُكَّابًا غَرِيبِي الشَّكْلِ لَكِنَّهُمْ وَدُودُونَ، أَجْلَسُوهَا بِجَانِبِ الْكَابْتِنِ وَطَارُوا بِهَا بَيْنَ الْكَوَاكِبِ، حَتَّى حَطُّوا عَلَى كَوْكَبٍ أُرْجُوَانِيٍّ صَغِيرٍ.
«هَذَا كَوْكَبُ لَا»، قَالُوا لَهَا، «هُنَا نُعَلِّمُكِ الشَّجَاعَةَ لِتَقُولِي لَا لِكُلِّ مَا يُزْعِجُكِ. مِنْ حَقِّ إِخْوَتِكِ أَنْ يَطْلُبُوا، لَكِنْ لَيْسَ مِنْ حَقِّهِمْ أَنْ يَطْلُبُوا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ، وَلَا أَنْ يَشْتِمُوكِ أَوْ يَضْرِبُوكِ».
عَادَتْ بَسْمَلَةُ أَقْوَى وَأَكْثَرَ ثِقَةً. وَلَمَّا صَرَخَ عَدْلِي: «اكْوِي لِي قَمِيصِي»، رَدَّتْ بِهُدُوءٍ: «لَا، أَرْجُو أَنْ تُكَلِّمَنِي بِاحْتِرَامٍ، وَأَنْ تَكْوِيَ قَمِيصَكَ بِنَفْسِكَ فَأَنَا مَشْغُولَةٌ بِوَظَائِفِي». فَوُجِئَ أَخُوهَا، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «مَعَكِ حَقٌّ، أَعْتَذِرُ». فَابْتَسَمَتْ: «لِأَنَّكَ اعْتَذَرْتَ سَأَكْوِيهِ هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةَ، أَمَّا فِي الْمَرَّاتِ الْقَادِمَةِ فَاخْدِمْ نَفْسَكَ بِنَفْسِكَ».
وَمُنْذُ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ صَارَ الِاحْتِرَامُ الْمُتَبَادَلُ أَسَاسَ الْعَلَاقَةِ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِهَا وَكُلِّ مَنْ حَوْلَهَا.
Every child who came through
this door brought a story
What children and their families tell us after passing through Yes Theatre. Not numbers we put on show, but faces we know by name.
Gallery: faces that
have stood
on the stage
Here we gather what we can keep of every season: pictures from the workshops, the performances and the wings, from the first awkward rehearsal to the last round of applause. They were taken by one of us standing beside the children, not at a distance behind a stranger's lens.
In every picture here is a child who said yes; yes to the story, and yes to their own voice rising for the first time in front of strangers. Look through them slowly — you may find your own child among them, or find in them what you wish for them.
