File photo used for representation only
Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani affirmed that theatre remains an influential art in peoples’ lives. “For over half a century of active role, Qatari theatre has been influencing the Qatari cultural scene and Qatari society, until it became one of the most prominent arts closest to the conscience and awareness of Qataris.”
The Minister's remarks came on the occasion of the Doha Theatre Festival, being held from March 16 to 27.
The Minister of Culture met with a number of playwrights during a seminar held on the sidelines of the recent Doha International Book Fair, and listened to their views and demands for the return of the theatre festival.
The Festival is back once again after a 5-year hiatus. The event will offer theatre performances, panel discussions, and conferences led by local and international entities. All performances will be held at Katara Theatre.
Qatar National Theatre's General Manager of Theatre Affairs Center, Abdulrahim Alsiddiqi told The Peninsula that the 34th edition will host a variety of programmes, re-initiating the festival anew to the public.
H E Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Culture
“We have eight shows for the theatre and each participating university will have a show. The script will be from international plays like The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The festival will have five plays from the universities and three plays performed by the local theatres,” he said.
The participating institutions are Community College of Qatar (CCQ), Qatar University (QU), Lusail University (LU), University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST), and Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI).
The participating local theatre groups are Qatari Theatrical Troupe, which is the first official theatre troupe in the country; Doha Theatrical Troupe; and Al Watan Theatrical Troupe.
CCQ will grace the first performance on March 16 with the play “Six personalities looking for an author”; the following day, March 17, “Beyond Centara” based on the novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” will be performed by QU; on March 18, “The Elephant, Oh King of the Time” by DI; on March 19, “Valley of the Blind” by UDST; and on March 20, “Justice Council” will be performed by LU. A group of Qatari artists who played an important role in the theatrical movement in the country will also be honoured. They include Ali Hassan.
Alsiddiqi said the COVID-19 pandemic halted the theatrical plays in the country. “It was very dynamic just before COVID-19, but unfortunately with the pandemic, it did not die but it stopped. We only had few plays during that time. Hopefully the pandemic will be over as we’re trying to restart the theatre activities again with this festival,” he added.
Qatar was the first GCC country to hold such festival in 1978. “Qatar started the theatre much earlier than our neighbouring countries,” Al Siddiqi said.
Meanwhile, the seminars taking place during the festival include ‘Qatari Theatre at 50 Years’ on March 21, ‘A reading of the late Abdulaziz Jassim’s Theatrical Experience’ on March 23, and ‘The achievements of theatre festivals’ set for March 25.
Dr. Ali Al Anzi, Dean of the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Kuwait; Jalila Al Fahdiya, Director of Theatre Department in Amman, Jordan; and Baha Zuhair, Professor of the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Iraq will be in attendance.
