RIYADH: The 14th edition of the Gulf Theatre Festival kicked off at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh on Tuesday. The event was held under the patronage of Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture, and attended by Sultan Al Bazie, CEO of the Theatre and Performing Arts Authority, along with representatives from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The festival's events will continue over eight days, from September 10 to 17, in a distinguished cultural gathering hosted by Saudi Arabia. It brings together numerous theatre artists and creatives from all GCC countries.
During the festival's opening, the accompanying exhibition was inaugurated, and several theatre artists from the GCC were honoured for their significant contributions to theatre.
Among those honoured were Kuwaiti artist Mohammed Jaber, Emirati artist Ahmed Al Jasmi, playwright Emad Al Shanfari, Qatari artist Saleh Al Manaai, Saudi artist Fahad Al Harthy, and Bahraini artist Ibrahim Khalfan. Additionally, the late Ibrahim Ghuloom, who chaired the festival's permanent committee throughout his tenure, was also honoured.
Jalila bint Saif al Fahdiyah, Director of the Theatre and Cinema Department at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, stated that Oman’s participation in the Gulf Theatre Festival, held in Saudi Arabia, highlights the importance of Omani involvement alongside its GCC counterparts. She emphasised the continuous and rapid development of Gulf theatre, which addresses various issues through numerous stories and scenes.
Al Fahdiyah noted that Gulf theatre has played a vital role in discovering diverse talents that have enriched the theatre scene.
She added that what distinguishes theatre is its ability to address different topics through ideas and narratives and how they are presented. Gulf theatre has greatly contributed to the emergence of various talents, including theatre actors, writers, directors, and critics, who have made significant contributions to enriching the Gulf theatre.
Oman will participate in this festival with a theatrical performance titled 'Al Ru’a' by the Tawasol Theatre Group, written and directed by Taher al Harrasi. The play is scheduled to be performed on Saturday, September 14. Al Fahdiyah expressed confidence that the theatrical performances will feature intense competition and intellectual enrichment, reflecting the development of the theatrical movement in the GCC countries.
The Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, will present the play 'Al Ru’a,'. The play revolves around the people of a village living in fear and terror caused by 'Al Ru’a,' who controls the village and its people, keeping them in constant conflict that has persisted for decades. Al Ru’a interacts with and affects each village resident differently, with each character having their own unique story. Between love and hatred, truth and fear, good and evil — who will triumph?
Wednesday witnessed the first theatrical performance, 'Bahr' from Saudi Arabia, followed by the play 'Ashofek' from the UAE on Thursday. On Friday, Bahrain will present the play 'At the Other Bank,' while on Saturday, Oman will perform 'Al Ru’a'. On Sunday, Qatar will present 'The Tent,' and on Monday, the final performance will be 'A Crossing's Sorrow' from Kuwait. — ONA
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