Symposium on Qatari Theater, Achievements Held During 22nd Amman International Book Fair

Amman, September 28 (QNA) - A symposium on Qatari theater and its origins, recognition and achievements was held at the 22nd Amman International Book Fair within the framework of Qatar's participation as a guest of honor.
The symposium featured Qatari playwriter and critic Dr. Hassan Rashid and Qatari theater director and actor Faleh Fayez, with the moderation of Dr. Firas Al Raymouni.
Dr. Hassan Rashid said at the beginning of his speech at the symposium that the theater scene in Qatar has been around for more than fifty years and has showcased throughout the years great talents who now represent the Qatari theater in general.
He said that it is impossible to discuss the Qatari theater without mentioning talents such as Abdulrahman Al Mannai, Hamad Al Rumaihi, Ghanem Al Sulaiti, Hadiya Saeed, Ghazi Hussein and many more, who all contributed to shaping different theatrical generations by presenting work that has art and thought at the same time.
From the very beginning, Qatari theater has relied on unlimited support from the country and by granting scholarships to study abroad, he added.
Dr. Hassan Rashid said that the Qatari theater is part of the Arab theater, and thus goes through the same state of ups and downs. The art requires more financial support given the high cost of theatre, in addition to the importance of developing the passion for the art as it is dying out.
He attributed the decline of Arab theater to the lack of showcasing the fun, art and thought side of theater, as well as the lack of reflecting the real suffering and issues of the Arab person. The current state of Arab theater is far from its main objective of reflecting the human condition and instead focuses on improvisational comedy therefore the audience is accustomed to attending the shows for laughter.
Dr. Hassan Rashid said that there isn’t a stable theater scene in Qatar today and there is also a lack of abroad scholarships that would enrich creative minds.
On his part, Faleh Fayez said that Qatar's support in establishing the theater scene in the country through the Ministry of Media at that time and the emergence of the theater troupes in the early 70s was the birth of this field in Qatar. This included the Qatari Theatrical Troupe in 1972, the Al Sadd Theatrical Troupe in 1973, the Lights Theatrical Troupe in 1975 and more.
He added that after this stage, the popular acting troupe in the early 80s, founded by late artist Moosa Abdulrahman, came with a new youthful energy. Today it constitutes the second theatrical generation, as the popular troupe was founded with the outputs of the school theater that was established with the emergence of the Theater Department at the Ministry of Education as well as the youth theater through the clubs affiliated with the Supreme Council for Youth Welfare at that time.
Faleh Fayez pointed out that government scholarships for pioneers of the theatrical movement were the cornerstone of the development of Qatari theatre, becoming an important and influential cultural movement in society and even dominating the artistic field. This was achieved with professional theatrical work that includes academically qualified Qatari staff in writing, acting and directing, as well as the emergence of new theatrical generations that played an active role in strengthening the theater's relationship with society.
He explained that the interest of the Ministries of Media and Education, in addition to the youth, contributed greatly to the renaissance and development of the Qatari theatrical movement at that time. The Qatari theater was active during the 70s, 80s, and early 90s when support was provided.
Other attributes include the holdings of the World Theatre Day and the Doha Theater Festival, the work of the theater troupes throughout the years and the participation in Arab and international festivals. There was a strong sense of competition in the local theater scene which contributed to the distinction and development of the theatrical movement and even led to an achievement on the scale of the Gulf and Arab region.
With the establishment of theatrical troupes, the true form of theatrical production that includes culture and thought began. There was a better understanding of the theatrical dramatic structure. Scripts dealing with social issues emerged from some talented writers who were trained by the likes of Abdullatif Samhoun, Hani Snobar and Kamal Muhaisi.
The work at the time adopted purely traditional social issues. They were direct in their presentation and dealt with the issues of that period. It reflected the past and present and brought real characters to the stage with a tragic or comedic touch. (QNA)