This stage production of “The Hat and the Prophet” by the leading Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani was translated by Maho Watanabe and performed by Hiroshi Naito, Shinj Yamaguchi, and Hanano　Takizawa. It is a metaphorical and highly theatrical work, featuring a strange and indeterminate talking character called “The Thing.” The themes of the work are discrimination and prejudice, conflict, and lost diversity. The other featured work is “When the Birds Stopped Singing: Life in Ramallah Under Siege,” from 2002, a one-person play based on a journal by Raja Shehadeh which depicts the Israeli forces’ incursion into the Palestinian territory of Ramallah. It has been translated by Toyoshi Yoshihara and is performed by Takahide Tashiro. The producers would like audiences to compare the two works and learn about the changes Palestine has seen. The decision to stage these two works was motivated by the hope that it would provide an opportunity to raise, think about and discuss these issues in Japan, located as it is in a safe zone. This is the Japan premiere for both works, with direction by Miyuki Ikuta.