Al Madina Theatre
Presents
NIDAL AL ACHKAR
In
EL WEWIYEH
a theatre performance directed by Nagy Souraty
after texts by Bertolt Brecht adapted and translated by Elie Adabachi
The Arab World is changing at a very high speed, we do not know if the so called springs can still be considered springs or if they turned into wars.
Lebanon finds itself in the very privileged and awkward position of the witness, a witness who is in the middle of it all. Being witnesses, and not wanting to take part in what is happening to us, and not wanting to take advantage of it while some are doing so, we are bound to reflect on it.
The theatre imposes itself as the best space to share our thoughts and contemplate on what is happening along with the audience.
About the performance
“EL WEWIYEH”
a theatre performance directed by Nagy Souraty
after texts by Bertolt Brecht adapted and translated by Elie Adabachi
music created & performed by Abed Kobeissi and Ali Hout
with singing improvisations by Khaled El Abdallah
“EL WEWIYEH”
will be performed at Al Madina Theatre
in December 2013 before touring the Arab
and the western world
This performance uses texts from Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage, transposed in a way to mirror problematics of the Arab World today, with the unconventional use of musical interference and puppetry; the characters reflect stories of its citizens. The richness, pride and betrayals of the culture tread on a new path in questioning the truths in a fluid world.
Nidal Al Achkar interprets the role of El Wewiyeh. El Wewiyeh has three sons. Her eldest son is interpreted by Khaled El Abdallah, who communicates through speech and songs. Her two other sons, interpreted by Abed Kobeissi and Ali Hout communicate through music. The other characters are interpreted by Hadi Deaibess who uses puppetry.
This performance tackles social issues using dark humor. Through her journey, El Wewiyeh will try to expose her views about war and peace unto her children, and the other people she meets on the road. She explains that during wars her instinct for survival made her a trader.
The performance is approximately 65 minutes long.
Nidal Al Achkar
Nidal Al Achkar is a Lebanese artist who played a leading role in launching the theatre and Cultural movement in Lebanon, and the Arab world.
As an actor and director, Nidal graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. It was her encounter with the legendary Joan Littlewood that changed her view on theatre and life. Nidal contributed as an actress and director, through her body of work to transforming Lebanese theatre from its elitism to a more reachable and popular form. She has also performed in a number of important T.V. productions and films.
Nidal participated in many lectures, discussions, conferences, and seminars concerning cultural issues, including, theatre, social, political, gender, and the arts.
Nidal Al Achkar livened up Arab poetry, and promoted verse to communicate with the public. She received several honors, most notably the High Honors of Culture from the President of Tunis as well as a Knight of Arts and Letters, by the French Government.
Nidal had the leading role opposite, the Noble Prize winner, Wole Soyinka at the TNP in a play directed by Joan Littlewood. She was in Yemen to do a reading with Noble Prize winner Günter Grass, as he read his work in German, Nidal was reading his poetry in Arabic.
A cultural provocateur to the core, she founded with a group of artists “The Beirut Theatre Workshop” in the late 1960s. She dealt boldly with contemporary social, political and regional issues. In the mid-80s, Nidal established from Amman, Jordan, the “Arab Actors” theatre company, which included 13 different Arab countries. They toured the Arab world and crowned their tours in London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Nidal established Al Madina Theatre, in 1994, which became the center of gravity for culture and art in Beirut.
Dame Nidal, as the Arab press likes to call her, is the head of the Board of the Trustees, as well as the Founder and Director of Masrah Al-Madina Cultural and Arts Center.
Khaled Al Abdallah
Khaled El Abdallah was born in Kefershuba. He has pursued the knowledge of music since a young age.
He participated in many television shows.
In 1993 he won the first place in the Tarab category in 'Studio El Fan’.
Khaled holds a degree in acting and a degree in law.
After working as a lawyer for three years, he was given an ultimatum by the Lebanese Bar Association: either practice law or pursue an artistic career. From 2005 until 2013 he taught sound engineering at the Lebanese University.
He created a software that generates infinite number of melodies based on algorithms to which he received a patent.
He also worked as a journalist in Al Nahar newspaper for 4 years as a music critic.
Abed Kobeissy
Born in Beirut in 1982, Abed is a buzuq player and holds a Masters degree in musicology.
Among the several groups specialized in traditional Arabic music that he founded in Beirut are ‘Ensemble Mayal’ and ‘Ahl El-Hawa’.
He is a member of ‘Ensemble Asil’ and ‘The Great Departed’.
He also contributed as a member in western music Lebanese
Bands. Abed participated in several Arabic and International festivals.
Ali Hout
Born in Beirut in 1985, Ali is a percussionist and an actor.
He holds a Graduate degree in acting.
He is a member of "Ensemble Asil" and "The Great Departed" for Arabic music.
Ali participated in several Arabic and International festivals.
Hadi Deaibess
Hadi is a Lebanese actor, musician and street performer. He studied acting at the Lebanese University. He started his career as an actor in 2008, and has worked as an actor, a puppeteer, a musician, and a set designer. Hadi studied traditional West African music in Lebanon and Guinea Conakry and now is a member or Jebebara Unity Drum group. He is a hospital clown doctor since 2009, and works as a clown, juggler, mime and musician.
Elie Adabachi
Elie Adabachi has been involved in numerous productions playing several vital roles. As a director, he filmed a television drama series in
Syria, a documentary film in Yemen, a TV movie in Lebanon which won a Murex D'Or for best TV movie in 2008, and two TV series in Lebanon.
Elie also directed many advertising, documentary and corporate films for several companies.
He was a Second Unit and Assistant Director for movies in Cyprus, Italy and Greece as well as the assistant director on Schloëndorff's film Die Fälschung.
He was a mentor at ALBA University for seminars on directing, production, schedule and shooting as well as following up Masters students with their projects.
Elie has a long history working alongside Maroun Baghdadi, Youssef Chahine, Samir Nasri and others. He has a certificate from the Actor Studio in Los Angeles.
Nagy Souraty
Nagy Souraty was born in Beirut. He obtained his masters of Arts in Drama and Theatre Studies from the Royal Holloway University of London in 1998.
Theatre director and actor, he is known as the Didaskalos. Nagy has been teaching since 1992.
Theatre director and actor, he is known as the Didaskalos. Nagy has been teaching since 1992.
He taught at the Lebanese American University between 2001 & 2011, where he directed every year a Major Theatre Production. These productions have been acknowledged by the press & the audiences to have taken university theatre in Lebanon to the level of the professional scenes.
He is the coordinator of the artistic education at the Collège Protestant Français, where he has been teaching Theatre & Audiovisual since 1992.
He is the coordinator of the artistic education at the Collège Protestant Français, where he has been teaching Theatre & Audiovisual since 1992.
Nagy Souraty is the Artistic Director & board member at the Al Madina Theatre in Beirut.
He is also co-founder and President of AFPA (AGONISTIK for performing arts - NGO - license No.908-19/05/2011)
Curator & director of theatre workshops, he participated in many festivals & residences of artists (Avignon, Beirut, Tunis, Damascus, Caen, Vienna, Kuwait, Morocco).
His experimentation in theatre is institutionalized and recognized as the “Theatre of the Edge”.
Bertolt Brecht 1898 – 1956
Born in Germany, Brecht had been an ambulance driver during the first world war, an experience that made him despise the war.
He is best known for his plays and poems, in which he embraced anti-bourgeois themes.
Brecht developed a new approach to the theatre, being famously responsible for arising Epic Theatre.
He says of this theatrical form, "It is most important that one of the main features of the ordinary theatre should be excluded from Epic Theatre: the engendering of illusion."
The epic form describes both a type of written drama and a methodological approach to the production of plays.
Mother Courage and her children 1939
Mother Courage is considered to be the greatest anti-war play of all time.
It places the audience in judgment of the actions of a woman who lives in a universe defined by war. She often makes cataclysmic choices.
She refuses to understand the nature of her tragic circumstances; fearing to look back as she assumes it weakens her.
The play imposes a gradually lonelier world for Mother Courage to live in; it becomes merciless with each choice she makes. But for her, as for us, life goes on.
El Wewiyeh begins as of the 4th of December 2013
at 9:00pm sharp! (doors will be locked at 9:00pm)
every Thursday, Friday and Saturday
tickets on sale at
VIRGIN TICKETING BOX OFFICE
01 999 666
