Coinciding with the celebration of “Doha, Capital of Islamic Culture 2021”
The festival session holds the name of the late artist Musa Abdul Rahman
The activities of the second session of University Theater Festival (Our Youth on the Stage), organized by Theater Affairs Center, will be held from 21st to 27th of March at Qatar National Theater, under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Salah bin Ghanem Al-Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports.
The closing ceremony and the announcement of the festival’s prizes coincide with the celebration of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the World Theater Day, which falls on March 27th of each year. On this occasion, the theatrical performance “Wadi Al-Majadir”, which is written and directed by Abdul Rahman Al-Mannai, will be presented, in cooperation with the artists of Doha Theater Troupe. In the same context, Mr. Moussa Zainal, one of the founders of the theatrical movement in the State of Qatar, will deliver a speech related to the World Theater Day.
During this session, which holds the name of the late artist Musa Abdul Rahman, four theatrical performances will compete. The theatrical performances are written and directed by students of Qatar University, who will participate in two performances, in addition to a performance by students of the North Atlantic College, and a presentation by students of the Community College.
At Qatar National Theater a press conference has been held today, during which Mr. Salah Al Mulla, artist and also Director of the Theater Affairs Center, affirmed that the center was keen to hold the University Theater Festival while applying all precautionary measures. Holding this festival came as a result of the youth’s determination and desire to achieve their goals and to continue working on their plays, so that the second session of the festival this year will be held in conjunction with the celebration of “Doha, Capital of Culture in the Islamic World 2021”.
He pointed out that this session holds the name of the late artist Musa Abdul Rahman. In fact, it is a kind of gratitude to Musa Abdul Rahman’s role as one of those who laid solid foundations and rules for the Qatari theater, and who left an unforgettable imprint. It is also an imitation of the first session of the festival which held the name of the late artist Abdulaziz Jassim.
Mr. Salah Al-Mulla explained that the competing plays in the festival are written and directed by students from 3 universities, with their details and techniques. The plays are as follow: Firstly, Qatar University introduced “Martabat Sharaf”, which is written by Tamim Al-Burshid and directed by Abdullah Al-Mulla. Secondly, “Mukhtal Akliyan” introduced by the Theater Department at Community College which is directed by Maryam Al-Maliki and written by Ibrahim Lari. Thirdly, the North Atlantic College introduced “Azf Munfared”, which is directed by Ahmed Al-Ali and written by Mona Al-Anbari. Finally, “La Tuqidh Allawa” introduced by Qatar University, which is written and directed by Iman Al-Marri.
Mr. Salah Al-Mulla noted that the discussion sessions that will follow the performance of each play will also be attended by students. In fact, having the students as major attendees enhances the goals of the Theater Affairs Center to introduce youthful festival par excellence, in which the children of the new generation express their desires, capabilities and talents. Moreover, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, represented by the Theater Affairs Center, will be an essential supporter for the students and the theater movement in general.
As far as the festival awards’ concerned, Mr. Salah Al-Mulla said that they include: best work, best script, best direction, best first role actor, best second role actor, best first role actress, best second role actress, best decor, best lighting, best visual and audio effects, best costumes special jury prize, in addition to the Theater Affairs Center’s appreciation awards in the fields of authorship, directing, establishing a theatrical team core, vocal performance, and acting. He also pointed out that this year, the Theater Affairs Center added an award for the best critical article on performances in which the elements of the theatrical process are analyzed.
The University Theater Festival jury is composed of the chairman and the writer Hamad Al-Rumaihi. The members are Dr. Hafez Ali, the writer Abdul Rahim Al-Siddiqi, the interior designer Zayed Hazaa, the artist Salman Al-Marri, and Mr. Mohamed Hegazy as a reporter and a secretary.
A number of authors and directors of the participating theatrical works participated in the conference, where each speaker provided an overview of the participating play.