ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Bulbul's tactical deployment of theatre before, and in response to, the Syrian Revolution, which began in 2011. It examines the use of these tactics within three dimensions of power: political, religious, and social. Additionally the chapter explains how Bulbul's tactics work on a global terrain. By comparing two different performances Bulbul directed one in Syria prior to the revolution and one in Amman four years after leaving Syria it is possible to witness his tactical shift in response to both the revolution and his exile. The use of tactics by dissident artists such as Bulbul can best be understood through Michel de Certeau's theory of strategies and tactics. In The Practice of Everyday Life, de Certeau defines tactics as the ingenious ways in which the weak makes use of the strong. Producing a play that overtly criticizes arbitrary imprisonment in Syria requires an extensive knowledge of the censorship process and dexterous ability to maneuver within its limitations.
