SHARJAH // More than 300 artists will take part in a theatre extravaganza in Sharjah next month, which includes plays, workshops and competitions.
The Festival of Arab Theatre will stage 15 of the best plays being performed in Arabic in the world at present, and organisers will honour some of the most accomplished work in Arab theatre.
The performances include Domino, directed by Emirati Marwan Abdullah Saleh; Jameelat, which is directed by Sonia from Algeria; Richard III, directed by Jaafar Al Qassimi from Tunisia; and Plastic Dreams by Egyptian Shadi Al Daari.
“The festival will include artistic and intellectual activities,” said Ismail Abdullah, secretary general of the Arab Theatre Authority, which is organising the festival.
“Sharjah is set to host a distinct event on a technical and organisational level.”
Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, is to deliver the keynote Arab Theatre speech at the start of the festival.
“The message will be exceptionally important and serve as a guide for theatre people across the world,” said Mr Abdullah.
One of the top awards is the Sheikh Sultan prize for the best play, which has received more than 160 entries.
The festival will award the best Arab drama scriptwriters, for which 23 entries have been entered, and honour Mohammed Al Ali, an Emirati artist and journalist, for his contribution to theatre.
Mr Al Ali was a former director of the Sharjah Department of Culture and Media.
An international thinkers’ conference will take place with contributors from the Philippines, Indonesia, Uganda, Britain and Iran.
The Festival of Arab Theatre will take place from January 10 to 16.
Its previous editions took place in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan and Qatar.
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