The Theatre Times: Since its beginning, Egyptian theatre has tended to adopt the colonizer-perspective in defining theatre. Until now, the majority of theatre practitioners and scholars still prefer to look at the performing arts from the viewpoint of the West, decreasing the value of popular and folkloric arts. This perspective positions the folkloric arts as non-arts, or as practices of lesser and immature minds and imaginations, and therefore, practices that do not fit a modernist lens. Fortunately, there have been legitimate attempts within Egyptian theatre to venture in an opposing direction on this issue, whether through theatrical and performative endeavors or through studies and theoretical essays that are -unfortunately- seldom considered by the average reader or even by professional theatre practitioners.
5 comments:
This article is incredibly interesting and I think a very important read that works to remind us all that the world is filled with beautiful art and artists that work outside the normal, commercial realm of theatre we are used to experiencing. This article made me think about the amount I know about international theatre and the international entertainment industries, and it is truly very little. We can easily become very caught up in the newest technology available to us or the new crazy show going to Broadway but sometimes we lose our connection to the deeper, more powerful theatre that existed long before Broadway was anything more than a bunch of trees on an island. There is so much complexity within the simplicity of this style that seems like an incredibly powerful way to convey the emotions of a story, or to simply be a beautiful performance to witness. The globe is filled with unique, dynamic, theatre and we cannot forget how much we can learn from those other styles.
It is so interesting to learn about the history of theater in Egypt. I always thought that theater came from the ancient Greeks but it got its roots in a lot of places including, China Japan or Java, Turkey, and Egypt. Reading about what theater is like in Egypt was just so fascinating. Scholars have found that the Arab shadow play originated from the Shadow of the Imagination. Scholars also believe that Egyptians also have a form of play called the Story in which actors wore masks and specially designed and embroidered costumes. Ibn-Danial (the 7th century AH/After Hijra), is one of the most important figures in Arab Theatre history. Ibn-Danial traveled to Baghdad with the Tatar invasion, and from there came to Egypt; he is considered one of the founders of Egyptian theatre. It is so interesting that Egyptian shadow plays were such a big deal in Egypt. I had no idea that theater was so prominent in Arab culture.
I often think about how it could be really cool if we made a decision for one of our mainstage shows that made an idea like shadow puppetry central to the show itself. I have always been a big fan of shadow puppetry and the artfulness of it. I think you can get some really incredible results from experimentation and creative solutions. However I think there could really be some interesting technical components of automation and rigging if we did this on a big scale. I think that it would be something interesting for us to experiment with as technical designers. Unfortunately I feel as if the time in our schedule doesn’t really allow for the same level of experimentation and trial and error as might be beneficial to us. I feel as if when we’re budgeting shows any unknowns really throw a wrench into the system and we won’t do it because of those restriction, which is valid but is really limiting our own scope to known entities.
Puppetry is one of the most interesting forms of theatre to me. When I was little in Atlanta my mom would drop me off at the children’s daycare at the Center for Puppetry arts and I would make and play with puppets. But that being said I remember that one of my favorite puppets were shadow puppets and I think that still carries to this day but I have always found them few and far between. Part of it I imagine is because people don’t respect or appreciate it as much as other forms of puppetry but a lot of it I expect is because people find it hard. It’s hard to tell a story in 2D. Working with these requires a different form of acting and inflection from the puppeteer as they have to portray more and more emotion and there is little in terms of movement that they can do on the screen/stage.
Shadow puppetry has always drawn me in its simplicity. It is an emotionally evocative way of expressing what can be big ideas and scenes in a minimalistic way. Shadow puppets will always have that nostalgia of childhood for me so it's hard to disconnect the art form with softness and childlike wonder. My junior year, we did a scene of our competition piece staged as a shadow puppet show in a tent and it was one of the most visually beautiful scenes in the show. Seeing the warm yellow and reds convey this story of a yearning father looking for a son to love and cherish (Pinocchio and Gepetto) was heartwarming and moving. Even being able to see the silhouettes of the actors took me back to eager and excited kids playing around with friends and telling stories in a way they knew how. When you're working on a 2-dimensional moving art form it can be very difficult to create a sense of reality and depth but the actors and craftsmen that get it right are truly awe-inspiring.
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