Djalel Hadjel

Djalel Hadjel was among the founders of Istijmam. He had regularly acted in school plays from elementary school through high school, and he enjoyed it so much that he sought out opportunities to continue theatrical training on his own. His path led him to Jamil Benhamamouch, with whom he studied various aspects of theatrical production for over a decade. For the US tour, Djalel was the troupe’s improvisation coach, road manager, stage manager, and lighting designer. He was previously involved in the troupe’s productions of L’Astuce and Yadra! as well as in the Algerian performances of Et-Teffeh, and he was a lead coach in the troupe’s Improvizoo! tournaments. Djalel also served as the troupe’s berrah (berrāḥ), or town crier, in street performances announcing the show in both Algeria and the United States. In 2016, Djalel was working for a friend who owned a clothing store in Oran.