In 2015, TDP began a new project for women in Gaza. The Barometer Project set out to “capture and empower unheard voices of Palestinian women on issues of peace and security.” The beginning workshops  resulted in a booklet “Palestinian Women’s Voices and their Stories.” Groups of women, working in safe spaces with women leaders are asked to make different time lines of the events in their lives. Events and stories are shared and new time lines are made focusing in on new and other issues that women face in Gaza today.

This “barometer” workshop is now a regular feature in TDP’s program. The team of women who lead these workshops work in cooperation with local NGOs. As theatre makers, we are often inspired by the stories of these women. Our own group of story-tellers often joins the workshops. Plays are sometimes made based on a story or stories shared in a workshop. When this happens, the workshop group is all invited to rehearsals and performances of the play. They have their say. It’s a workshop in relief, in sharing, in opening up, and in discovering creativity.