Theatre in the Arab world
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Saudi Arabia's cultural revolutionArtists, but not individuals in the Western sense
"Saudi Vision 2030" foresees the accelerated modernisation of Saudi Arabia – and that includes the country’s culture. Huge amounts of government funding are being poured into the arts, while exchange with the West is welcomed. These new freedoms do, however, have their limits, as Joseph Croitoru reports.
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Interview with Raphael Cormack, author of "Midnight in Cairo"From dust to glory – the divas of Egypt’s roaring 20s
Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum continuous to be an icon, almost 100 years after she published her first record. But what about the other famous women of the 1920s? In his new book, historian Raphael Cormack tracks down the female founding figures of Egypt’s modern entertainment industry. Interview by Anna-Theresa Bachmann
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Author and critic Elias Khoury"Lebanon has always rebelled against political repression"
For years the Arab intellectual elite looked to Lebanon, coveting its atmosphere of freedom. Feigning the non-existence of repression, Beirut welcomed intellectuals from across the region, published their works and celebrated them. Yet, even following the murder of Lokman Slim, the powers that be are incapable of controlling everything. An essay by Elias Khoury
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Mohamed El Sagheerʹs "Gallert Epic"Hamlet in Egyptian
What would actually happen if the famous theatre hero Hamlet were to rise from the dead and live among us? Would the Prince of Denmark be able to cope with the modern world? Or would another tragedy ensue, as in Shakespeare's play from the early 17th century? By Eslam Anwar
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″Der Vogel Anderswo″ – Elsewhere BirdNurturing empathy
A theatre in Leipzig has stuck its neck out and brought a children′s play about refugees to the stage. The main actor fled Syria himself and the story he conjures up out of his suitcase is both educational and funny. An integration project for everyone involved – those from here and from elsewhere. By Inge Gunther
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Interview with Syrian playwright Wael KadourA vehicle for integration
Syrian playwright and dramatist Wael Kadour came of age in Damascus a decade before the revolution. His plays speak of life in his home country and social tensions across the Middle East. Interview by Laura Cappelle
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Cairo's Al Darb Al Ahmar Art SchoolThe chance of a lifetime
In early 2017, Cairo's Al Darb Al Ahmar Art School moved into new premises. Adjacent to the perimeter wall of the city's Azhar Park, the new building is also right next to the Genaina Theatre, venue for most of the school's performances. Islam Anwar has the details
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ObituaryActor Abdulhussain Abdulredha: The fourth tower of Kuwait
Much-loved Kuwaiti actor and entertainer Abdulhussain Abdulredha, known across the Arab world for his charisma and comic flair passed away on 11 August 2017. Reem Kelani looks back fondly on his career
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Ruhrorter art and theatre collectiveHolding the impossible
The art and theatre collective ″Ruhrorter″ in Mulheim, under the direction of Adem Kostereli, has already been working with refugees for five years. Their current project, ″Ich hielt in meinen Armen das Unmogliche″ (I held the impossible in my arms), explores themes of memory, loss and the limits of what words can express. By Sonja Galler
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Book review: ″Tahrir Tales: Plays from the Egyptian Revolution″The drama of protest
Despite bearing the title ″Tahrir Tales: Plays from the Egyptian Revolution″, the works in this new anthology, translated and edited by Rebekah Maggor and Mohammad Albakry, aren′t limited to the events of January and February 2011, nor to other uprisings that have taken place in Cairo′s iconic downtown square. By Marcia Lynx Qualey
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Refugee performers and their projectsNo more tales of woe
Often refugees on the German stage refugees are still merely authentic narrators of their fate, directed by established German directors. Can they produce their own material and make their own artistic voices heard? By Dorothea Marcus
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Arab theatre at the Zurich TheaterspektakelBetween coma and protest
Political theatre from the Arab world five years after the Arabellion: from a country in a permanent vegetative state comes the piece "While I Was Waiting" by the Syrian playwright Mohammad Al Attar. And in "Zig Zig," an Egyptian theatre group headed by Laila Soliman tells the tale of a gang rape. By Susanne Schanda