The theatre has been serving to actively encourage and promote Palestinian artistic and cultural activities and collaborates with the Palestinian ministry of culture, several United Nations organisations, and a wide range of local and international NGOs.
[1] In 1989, guest performance by the El-Hakawati Theatre at The Public Theater, New York City, was cancelled by Joseph Papp, as he said that he was afraid that the play would ""offend" Jews who "constitute a high proportion of the theater audience in any city, but especially in New York.
After one year, the management of the center was handed over to a board of directors composed of artists, writers, and notable persons in the Palestinian community.
Its aim is to raise the literary and intellectual awareness of Palestinians by expanding their horizons and developing their awareness in order to produce a community of people that have confidence and pride in themselves and respect for the differences of others.
[citation needed] The Palestinian National Theater (Hakawati) received the Yasser Arafat Award for Excellence and Creativity in 2016.