Damascus, March 28 (SANA) In celebration of World Theatre Day, Damascus’ al-Kabbani Theatre hosted a cultural and artistic event on Friday, featuring a tango performance and the technical theatre piece of “The Seventh Day” by students of the Arab International University (second batch). The event highlighted the enduring role of theatre as a vibrant space that bridges tradition and modernity, while affirming its function as a platform for human expression.
During the opening, Theatre Director Asima Youssef emphasized that World Theatre Day represents a renewed encounter with art and passion. She said, “From the heart of this place that taught me the meaning of love, Al-Kabbani Theatre will remain a home for creators. Let us open its doors to authentic works eagerly awaited by audiences.”
Youssef addressed challenges facing theatre, particularly amid the rise of artificial intelligence, asserting that the stage remains the ultimate refuge for artists despite financial difficulties. She described theatre as “the mother of the arts” and stressed the need to involve performers in box-office revenue and adjust ticket prices to reflect the value of productions.
The event also included a reading of the World Theatre Day message, originally penned by American actor and producer Willem Dafoe, delivered by Director of the General Cinema Organization Jihad Abdo. The message underscored the irreplaceable role of live performance, noting that while cinema introduced him to the world, his roots were deeply planted in theatre. It highlighted the audience as essential to theatre’s meaning and warned that human connection is increasingly threatened by digital substitutes.
Performances combined movement and experimental techniques. Tango Addicts, directed by Hasmik Slakian, presented a dynamic dance suite blending Argentine tango and global waltz, reflecting cultural openness and artistic exchange. The play of “The Seventh Day,” written and directed by Kefah Alkhos, offered a visually and intellectually immersive experience using 3D techniques.
Set in a “secret laboratory” run by a mysterious Dr. X, it explores the psychological pressures on four marginalized characters over seven days, drawing inspiration from Zakaria Tamer’s Tigers on the Tenth Day, and probing themes of human behavior, morality, and resilience under duress.
Nawar Bulbul, Director of Theatres and Music, told SANA that theatre mirrors the pains and struggles of people, describing it as the most intimate art form between performer and audience. He encouraged artists to explore all theatrical forms, from comedy to tragedy, as a means to engage with human experience.
Abdo praised the high artistic standard of the production, particularly its integration of screens with live actors, which offered a new aesthetic approach that broadens theatre’s educational and awareness-raising potential.
Director Kefah Alkhos, for his part, noted that the production followed a three-month intensive workshop in which students wrote and refined the script, emphasizing that theatre reflects social realities, including the hardships of the Syrian people. Al-Kabbani Theatre Director Asima Youssef reiterated the importance of supporting young artists and investing in theatre’s revival, from production to restoration, and called for the return of established stars to strengthen the stage.
kh.MZ
