STC performer dons Palestinian keffiyeh for her family at curtain call

Actor Violette Ayad, who stars in Oil at the Sydney Theatre Company, donned a Palestinian keffiyeh headscarf during the curtain call of the show at the Wharf Theatre on Wednesday night and has vowed to wear it every night of the season.

Ayad, an Australian-born actor with Lebanese and Palestinian parents, has family who have been killed and others who have been displaced in the Gaza conflict. She wore the keffiyeh in solidarity with her Christian Palestinian family.

Actor Violette Ayad says she will wear her keffiyeh at every curtain call for the remainder of season.Credit: Steven Siewert

“When their homes were destroyed, my family took shelter in the oldest Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza, Saint Porphyrius Church; they were in the church when it was hit by an Israeli air strike, which, as you can imagine, was incredibly distressing for all of us,” Ayad said.

“Innocent people, seeking refuge in a church, including members of my extended family, were killed in that strike.”

Her gesture comes on the tail of the controversy when actors Harry Greenwood, Mabel Li and Megan Wilding emerged during the encore on opening night of The Seagull, wearing keffiyehs.

Their November 25 protest at the Roslyn Packer Theatre has embroiled the theatre company in a crisis, with two STC foundation board members resigning, subscribers cancelling tickets and the company cancelling a performance out of a “duty of care” for the performers.

But unlike the actors in the Chekhov classic, who staged their pro-Palestinian protest without consulting the STC or fellow performers, Ayad alerted management of the Walsh Bay theatre company of her actions to honour her family.

“In consultation with STC, Violette Ayad, a Palestinian-Lebanese-Australian cast member in the production Oil, wore her Palestinian keffiyeh during the curtain call,” the theatre company confirmed in a statement.

“The Palestinian keffiyeh has cultural significance to Violette, who has family caught in the current conflict in Gaza and STC respects her choice,” the statement said.

Ayad said her Australian family have not been able to contact their relatives in Palestine because “all communications have been cut off, and we no longer even get updates that they are still alive”.

She said she first wore the keffiyeh during the curtain call on November 21, in the third week of shows.

Violette Ayad (right) along with co-stars Brooke Satchwell and Charlotte Friels in Oil.Credit: Prudence Upton

“I have been wearing it since then, but not for every show. I will be wearing it each night for the remainder of the season,” she said.

“I wear the keffiyeh in the curtain call for our play, Oil, as a simple act of solidarity for my family, and for all Palestinians. I feel that given the indisputable horrors being inflicted upon Palestinian people right now, especially those in Gaza, but also the West Bank, the least I can do is not allow people to forget, to not look away.”

Ayad stars alongside Brooke Satchwell and Charlotte Friels in the play directed by Paige Rattray, which runs until December 16.

The Perth-born Sydney-based NIDA graduate plays the roles of three characters: Anne, who speaks English, Ana, an Iranian who speaks Farsi and English and Aminah, an Iraqi who speaks Arabic and English.

The work, which spans the years from 1889 until 2050, was written by British playwright Ella Hickson in 2016.

Ayad has recently performed at Ensemble Theatre’s Nearer the Gods and Belvoir’s Son of Byblos.

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