Balalin Theater Troupe

The Balalin Theater Troupe ("The Balloons" in Arabic) originated in the West Bank in 1970 and remained active until 1975. It was co-founded by the Usrat Al-Masrah ("The Family Theater Troupe") based in Ramallah, in collaboration with Francois Abu Salem, an alumnus of Théâtre du Soleil. Balalin is considered one of the West Bank's most influential theatre troupes.
Balalin is known for portraying the Palestinian perspective in the local Arabic dialect. Their production Al-Atmeh ("darkness") was one of the earliest fully realized theatrical experiences in modern Palestine.
Balalin contributed to The Association for Work and Development for the Arts, an organization that spearheaded the inaugural Jerusalem Theatre Festival in 1975.
History
In the West Bank, the East Jerusalem-Ramallah about 1970, Salem met members of the Family Theater group, which staged Younis and the Almond Tree. They later agreed to collaborate with Salem to stage an original play he had written called A Slice of Life. The play opened in the theatre of Al-Omariyyeh school in Jerusalem’s Old City in 1972.
In 1973, Salem, with a faction of Balalin, left the group to form Bali-Lin (Without Leniency), and both ended two years later to make way for Sunduq al-Ajab Troupe.

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