An Israeli theatre collective known for its pro-Palestinian stance was unable to perform at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) after the Indian Embassy in Israel refused to grant visas to its members, forcing the cancellation of two scheduled shows on Tuesday.
The group was slated to present ‘The Last Play in Gaza’, a production that reflects the current state of Palestinian theatre. The work revisits and reimagines The Emigrants, the final play staged at Gaza’s Theatre for Everybody before the building was destroyed in Israeli airstrikes.
Directed by Israeli documentary theatre practitioner and film actor Einat Weizman, the production centres on Palestinian political experiences. Weizman’s artistic work has previously drawn opposition in Israel due to its critique of state violence and occupation, Maktoob Media reported.
Weizman said the troupe had applied for visas nearly two months ago and later responded to a request from Indian authorities for a detailed synopsis of the play. Despite providing the information, the visas were ultimately denied.
In a post on Facebook on Tuesday, Weizman described the rejection as coming after weeks of uncertainty and last-minute hurdles. “Today, at this very moment, we were supposed to have two performances at the festival in Kerala, India. The stage was meant to be ours. Instead, there is an evening of solidarity with the play that didn’t arrive,” she wrote.
She added that after the rejection, the group filed an appeal and was told that there was an “approval in principle,” though no visas were actually issued.
“Today I arrived at the embassy in the morning and waited. I stood at the gate for an hour, and they wouldn’t let me in. It quite stunned me, after all, our play speaks about exactly this,” Weizman wrote.
Rejecting suggestions that the issue was a procedural lapse, Weizman characterised the denial as an act of political censorship.
“This is not a coincidence. This is not bureaucracy. This is a continuation of the same erasure mechanism that the play itself speaks about,” she wrote. “First, Gaza is erased. Then the documentation of Gaza is erased. Then the voices that tell of Gaza are erased. And then, the play that recreates what was erased is prevented from reaching the stage,” she added.
Festival organisers confirmed that the morning and evening performances scheduled for Tuesday were cancelled because the troupe could not travel to India. They said that if the artists manage to reach Kerala before the festival ends, the play would be staged using already booked tickets; otherwise, refunds would be issued.
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi secretary Karivelloor Murali said political clearance for the troupe’s visit had been secured through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, but the visa issue remained unresolved at the embassy level.
In response to the cancellation, ITFoK organised an evening of solidarity dedicated to The Last Play in Gaza. Acknowledging this, Weizman wrote “There is something that cannot be erased: people who stand in solidarity. A festival that dedicates an entire evening to the play that didn’t arrive. An audience that understands that the absence itself is a performance.”
The production was completed after nearly a year of delays caused by the war on Gaza and was intended to reach an international audience at ITFoK, which this year is themed “Voices in the Silence.” Weizman concluded by saying that although the play did not make it to India, its story did—and that the struggle it speaks of continues.