Al-Kasaba Theatre, Theatre and movie house in Ramallah, Palestine

Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque occupies the building of the former Al-Jameel Cinema in Ramallah, which closed in 1987. The renovated venue opened on 1 June 2000 with a cinema hall and a theatre stage, hosting daily film screenings, theatre productions, art exhibitions, dance and music events, seminars and workshops for children, youth and women.

The institution was founded in 1970 in Jerusalem as Theatre Arts Group and moved to Ramallah in 1998. It now operates from a former cinema building that once served as Al-Jameel Cinema.

This venue showcases work by Palestinian artists and filmmakers alongside international productions that shape the city's cultural life. You will see local talent performing alongside visiting artists from other countries.

The theatre sits in central Ramallah, in the building of the former Al-Jameel Cinema that closed in 1987. It runs daily film screenings alongside theatre, dance and music events, festivals, workshops and seminars, including work with children, youth and women. Check the programme before travelling, as the schedule changes with each festival.

In early 2002 the theatre hosted Nobel laureates Wole Soyinka and José Saramago. Weeks later, during the April 2002 invasion of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers ransacked its offices and destroyed files and computers. The building itself is the former Al-Jameel Cinema, which had closed in 1987 and reopened in the 1990s as Al-Siraj Theatre before becoming Al-Kasaba in 2000.