How gags can remove gags: Comedian Mark Thomas discusses the taboos about stand-up he encountered in a refugee camp in Palestine

Heard the one about the comedian who walks into a Palestinian refugee camp to promote free speech? Tracey Bagshaw discovers from Mark Thomas that the punchline is not always as expected

Mark Thomas, Faisal Abu Alhayjaa and Alaa Shehada rehearsing together

CREDIT: Lesley Martin

“IN THE REHEARSAL room, nothing was off-limits. Once on the stage it became more problematic,” recounts Mark Thomas, who is as well-known for his work as a free speech activist as he is for making people laugh.

The comedian and journalist was walking the barrier between Israel and the West Bank when he first came across the Jenin Freedom Theatre in 2009.

“It was a theatre. In a refugee camp,” he said. “All my buttons were pressed. Here is something that exists in the face of adversity. It’s the toughest place – and here’s a theatre in the middle of it. What that speaks of is human beings and their aspirations – the need to express themselves and the urgency to do that – and that’s thrilling. I was bowled over.”

The theatre stands in a camp on the outskirts of Jenin, founded to house displaced Palestinians fleeing or expelled from Haifa when Israel was created in 1948.

The theatre itself was founded in 2006 as a place for children and young people to express themselves freely. However, many in the camp and the city disagree with the theatre’s very existence, and since its inception in 2006 the theatre has been firebombed, its performers have been threatened and (half-Palestinian, half-Israeli) director Juliano Mer-Khamis was murdered right outside in 2011.

With its controversial performances – its version of Animal Farm ended with the characters in the final scene dressed as Arabs and Jews – which mix male and female actors on stage, it is a place where performers and the audience risk their lives just to get through the doors.

Mark Thomas outside Jenin Freedom Theatre

CREDIT: Sam Beale

Although its radical performances are partly what sparked the backlash, much of the prejudice came down to basic beliefs that men and women should not share the same stage. Thomas recounted the story of one actor who was escorted to the theatre by her family to protect her from those who thought she had no place being there.

“This was a theatre people were fighting to get in,” said Thomas. “I was captivated and inspired. I found it thrilling.”

It was this inspiration that gave Thomas the idea of setting up workshops in stand-up, which he calls “the ultimate form of freedom of expression”.

“The thing with stand-up is, we can say what [other] people can’t say. When you’re improvising, the thought barely touches the sides of your head. It’s out there before anyone can do anything about it. It’s the ultimate form of freedom of expression. But how do you do that in an area which has a whole range of social, military and political constraints that tell you what you can and can’t do?”

Children watching a performance at the Jenin Freedom Theatre, in a refugee camp in the Palestinian city of Jenin

CREDIT: Jenin Freedom Theatre Facebook

The answer was “just do it anyway”.

And, in spite of the backlash against women performing at the theatre, four women took part in Thomas’ workshops, and young women made up the bulk of the audiences for the performances.

Thomas remembers one young woman’s act, which poked fun at the rules laid down for women.

“She would talk about things people would find mundane, like about getting a boyfriend and the rules her dad had – who she could see, who she couldn’t…” said Thomas. “She finished up by saying: ‘We can’t see boys, we can’t hang around with boys, maybe we should just see women’. ”

Religion was generally a no-no, but Yasser Arafat was a topic up for discussion. “He’s the Pope of Palestine,” joked Thomas. “You could make jokes about him. You had to be careful, but you could.”

Jokes were also made about the intifada, the occupation, corruption and everyday life.

One of the comedians had a most unique routine – recognising the sounds of different types of gunfire in the camp.

“Just everyday things…” mused Thomas.

But there are signs of change in the camp. Many people from Jenin have travelled, worked away and come back, bringing with them new ideas and attitudes, which are cutting through the more traditional conservatism.

“These voices weren’t often heard – it’s a generational shift. It’s becoming more liberal. More alert. More questioning,” said Thomas.

He believes the next chapters of Palestinian history will be written in places such as this. And Thomas himself is now touring his comedy show Showtime from the Frontline, telling the story of the theatre around the world. Two Palestinian comedians from the club – Faisal Abualheja and Alaa Shehada – are performing alongside him.

Thomas hopes one day to take it back to Jenin, “maybe with a few tweaks”.

Until then the Freedom Theatre will carry on, its stand-up comedians will continue to get the message out, fighting gender stereotypes, gunfire and firebombs with belly laughs.