Witnessing the witness 2.0: A dialogue with Freddie Rokem

In this dialogue, Freddie Rokem reflects on how theatre and performance might uphold moral reflection in the face of the commodification of violence and pain, which turns suffering into spectacle. In so doing, he revisits issues from his distinguished philosophical oeuvre, such as mediated testimony, historical performativity, witnessing and the ethical link between virtue and virtuosity. Drawing on philosophers and poets, he sheds light on censorship, the murder of Palestinian journalists, the implosion of a shared reality, the obligations and responsibilities of artists, theatre makers, audiences and institutions. Theatre and performance practices emerge as modes of ethics amidst war, occupation, genocide and contested historical narratives. The conversation further engages with VestAndPage’s public performances of ASHTAR Theatre’s New Gaza Monologues , staged across multiple languages in Venice and Płock during the summer of 2026, organized by the artists themselves, to dissect how the potentials of spoken words, reading, attentive listening, co-presence, translation and controlled voice may emerge as acts of solidarity. To paraphrase, theatre does not provide redemption, nor will performance-making ever offer narratives of full reparation. Still, they can certainly continue to function as impermanent spaces for collective remembering, protest, ethical responsiveness and counter-measures against erasure.