‘Yes, you can’: from symbolic resistance to social activism and back

This article presents a singular historical moment in which the ethnic counter-theatre of the 1970s in Jerusalem, which had emerged out of the Hapanterim Hashchorim (Black Panthers) social movement, generated another social movement. This offers a particular example of a grassroots theatre that directly affected and intervened in the complex social reality in Israel at that time. Moreover, this theatre planned and implemented a unique form of activism based on the combination of on-stage and off-stage non-violent actions. The discussion of this historical-theatrical event presents an alternative socio-aesthetic intervention in conflict-affected situations and places, as well as contributing to the discourse on the multi-faceted relationship between theatre, society, and the community in general, and on the transformative power of theatre in particular.