The ninth session of the Sharjah Desert Theater Festival begins on December 12

1 hour ago

3 minutes read

Sharjah, 8 December / WAM / Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the Department of Culture is organizing the ninth session of the Sharjah Desert Theater Festival during the period from 12 to 17 December this year, in the Cave area, with the participation of six theatrical performances from the Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Libya, specially prepared to be presented to the festival’s audience.

The organizing committee prepared the festival space in the form of a desert village extending over a wide area, where the performance stage was prepared in the middle of the dunes, valleys and tents, and was supported by the latest sound and light technologies appropriate to the nature of the performances presented by the theatre, “Father of the Arts.”

Maryam Al-Muaini, Head of the Media Committee, said that the opening night of the festival on December 12 will be decorated with a new theatrical performance by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah entitled “Al-Buraq and Laila Al-Afifa”, to join the theatrical works that His Highness presented specifically for the Desert Theater, after “Alia and Essam” – 2015 -, “ISIS and Al-Ghabra” – 2016 -, and “The Blood-stained Robe” – 2024 -.

A team of more than a hundred actors, performers and technicians from the Sharjah National Theater troupe will participate in the performance of the play, including Ahmed Al Jasmi, Bassem Yakhour, Ibrahim Salem, Ahmed Al Amri and Abdullah Masoud, while the artist Muhammad Al Ameri is directing.

She added that on the second night, the Jordanian “Free Theater” troupe presents the play “Yazin” by the writer Ahmed Al-Faouri and directed by Iyad Al-Shatnawi, while on the third night the audience witnesses the Egyptian play “Al-Zeer Salem” written and directed by Jamal Yaqout, and Libya records its first participation through the play “The Treasure” by the “Zawya Arts and Theater” group on the fourth night, which was written by Milad Mansour and directed by Muhammad Al-Sadiq.

Qatar also participates for the first time in the play “Laila and a Hundred Nights” presented by Al Saeed Artistic Production Troupe on the fifth night, written by Ahmed Al-Dous and directed by Faleh Al-Fayez. The festival concludes on December 17 with an Emirati show entitled “Jamar Al-Ghada” by the Kalba Folk Arts and Theater Society, written by Faisal Jawad and directed by Abdul Rahman Al-Mulla.

The festival celebrates the richness of the Arab heritage in narratives, tales and folklore, through a daily critical program that includes analytical sessions in which an elite group of Arab researchers, critics and playwrights participate, to discuss the artistic methods and contents presented in the performances. The festival also organizes an intellectual conference entitled “Desert Theater and the Aesthetics of Arab Folklore,” in which more than ten researchers from the Emirates, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and the Sultanate of Oman participate, during which they discuss the influences of popular and epic arts on the development of desert theatrical experiences.

Sarah Mahkum, Head of the Supervisory Committee, said: The “hotel tents” initiative, which the festival provides to families for free, will continue during this session, with the aim of enabling visitors to enjoy the desert atmosphere, follow the performances and the preparations that precede them, and enhance the theatrical culture among the public. The tents include six councils bearing the names of plays written by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, and in which selections of theatrical works organized by the Department of Culture during the year are presented, in addition to direct meetings with artists from inside and outside the country. The tents also provide service facilities. Complete, and games for children, in addition to the three main meals, in addition to donating theatrical works of His Highness to families.

It is noteworthy that the Sharjah Desert Theater Festival was established in 2015 in translation of the directives of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, to be a creative platform that celebrates the region’s heritage and presents it with a contemporary vision through theatre, the “Father of the Arts,” in a way that enhances the presence of performing arts inspired by the desert and authentic Arab culture.