Marklyft

A visual, poetic and physical narrative about the human condition of endurance amid collective trauma - exploring the burden of resistance and the power of symbols, where the heroic ideal is set against the right to be human. Under Palestinian director Bashar Murkus, four actors and a musician investigate a question that is both political and existential: What happens to a person when reduced to a symbol? Does she have the right to feel fear? Does she ever have the right to set down her burden?

The production draws from Suleiman Mansour's iconic painting Jamal Al Mahamel, in which a nameless man carries an entire city on his back - an image that has become a symbol of Palestinian resilience and resistance. In Marklyft, Murkus brings the artwork to life through the painting's mythic history: lost, found, destroyed, reproduced. The silent bearer steps forward in flesh and blood, exhausted, strong and vulnerable.

Cast and crew: Ehab Abed, Wajdi Khalid, Reem Talhami, Nicola Zreineh and Wouter de Belder (music). Written and directed by Bashar Murkus. Set design: Nancy Mkaabal & Bashar Murkus. Lighting design: Bart Verzellenberg. Technical project manager & set production: Issam Rishmawi & Simon Haen. Assistant director: Hadil Khateb.

Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Produced by Al Harah Theater/Palestine, in collaboration with Boy Jonkergouw Producties/Netherlands and Riksteatern/Sweden. Supported by AFAC & The Danish House in Palestine.