His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, attended the 32nd edition of Sharjah Theatre Days, held at the Cultural Palace. This year, the festival features 14 theatrical performances from various associations and theatre groups in the country, including selected performances, as well as broad participation in the programme accompanying the performances by artists and theatre researchers from across the Arab world.
The festival runs until March 20 and includes eight performances contending for the Sharjah Theatre Days Awards. His Highness bestowed the “Sharjah Award for Arab Theatrical Creativity” to Bahraini artist Mohammed Yassin and the “Honourable Local Personality Award” on Emirati artist Adil Ibrahim bin Sifan. The cast of the play “Rahal Al Nahar” received the “Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Award for Best Arab Theatrical Production 2022.”
During the ceremony, the names of the jury members for the 32nd Sharjah Theatre Days edition were announced. They include Dr. Mashhur Mustafa of Lebanon as Chairman of the Committee, Walid Al Zaabi of the UAE, Mohammed Khair Al Rifai of Jordan, and directors Adil Hassan and Rasha Abdil Muni’m of Egypt.
The programme includes two performances from the ninth session of the Kalba Festival for Short Plays, namely the award-winning work “Miss Julia,” directed by Dina Badr, and the work that won the award for best directing, “Failure of a Theatrical Show,” directed by Yousif Al-Mughni.
On March 14, an intellectual forum titled “Theatre and the Environment” will be held, with the participation of researchers and playwrights from several Arab countries. Male and female graduates from Arab theatre colleges and institutes are also taking part in the “Sharjah Eleventh Forum for Early Arab Theatre,” which honours outstanding performers from theatrical academies and allows them to keep up with Sharjah Theatre Days and become acquainted with the local cultural scene.
The cultural programme accompanying the 32nd edition of Sharjah Theatre Days includes various daytime and evening seminars and dialogues in which Arab playwrights take part. Their themes are distributed about the reality and impact of acting professionals and the ways that enable Arab theatrical performances to continue to attract the audience to theatre, as well as the difficulties and challenges that the theatre industry faces.
The festival will conclude on March 20 with the announcement of the award winners, and its finale will see the honouring of the winners of the Sharjah Award for Playwriting, which is dedicated to playwrights in Arab Gulf countries. The opening ceremony was attended by Sheikha Nawar bint Ahmed Al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, Rashid Ahmed bin Al Shaikh, Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler’s Court, Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of the Sharjah Police, Abdullah Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture, Mohammed Obaid Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Protocol Department, Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Media City (Shams), and a number of senior officials, artists, intellectuals and theatre lovers.
The Sharjah Theatre Days is an annual event that has become a platform for promoting Arab theatrical works and introducing them to a wider audience. The festival has contributed to the growth and development of the theatre industry in the region by supporting and promoting emerging talents, encouraging creativity, and showcasing the diversity of Arab theatrical productions.
