The play, Keffiyeh/Made in China, by Dalia Taha, consists of ten vignettes depicting slices of everyday Palestinian life. In the words of the playwright, this play is about “ordinary people in extraordinary conditions.” In each scene, these people experience everyday situations which become surreal as they are trying to cope with the oppressive forces of colonialism and capitalism — an inseparable part of living under occupation. Highlighting the symbolic meaning of the keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian headpiece, this production aimed to humanize the cause behind the garment and overturn the narrative of fear, which is used by the colonial forces to maintain endless cycles of violence. 

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Textile and the use of fabrics represent a metaphorical thread that goes throughout the entire play, reflecting the influence of colonialism and capitalist mass-production on the individual's life. To represent the textile motif on stage, the ten vignettes were framed in a world of a small weaving factory in Palestine inspired by Hirbawi factory, the last keffiyeh factory in Palestine. The cast portrayed six workers in this factory who became different characters in each scene. Props, lighting, and sound, all coming from the factory, were used to indicate the different time and space of each vignette. Through this Marxist and Brechtian approach, we aimed to expose the impact of the forces in power on the human experience.

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Director: Yuval Zehavi 

Dramaturge: Sarah Schecter 

Assistant Director: Lilah Peck 

Scenic Design: You Chen Zhang 

Costume Design: Shoshi Brustin 

Lighting Design: Emily Moore 

Sound Design: Ben Susskind 

Stage Manager: Anoushka Hem 

Intimacy Director: Carly D. W. Bones

 Cast: Ali Qadiri, Mireya Nevel, Joseph Rosales, Cameryn Mitchell, RJ Wang, Ava Fong