It is not strange for ‘Kuwaiti culture’ to address major issues

This news has been read 9828 times!

‘I Media inspired by ancient texts’

ROME, July 4: Kuwaiti playwright and director Suleiman Al-Bassam said on Sunday that his play “I Media”, which was shown at the Naples International Festival in Italy, is part of a series of works inspired by ancient texts, stressing that it is not strange for Kuwaiti culture to address the issues of the times and major issues faced by many societies. This came in statements made by Al-Bassam to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) after the presentation of his play “I Media” at the Naples International Theater Festival, which is the first joint performance of the play in the European continent after it was shown in Arab international festivals in Carthage and Cairo, in which the play won a series of major awards. He added that the “I Media” show, as happened with the previous show “The Play of Ur”, which was presented by the German National Theater in Munich in 2018, was born on the island of Failaka.

Al-Bassam stressed that it is not strange for Kuwaiti culture to address the issues of the times and major issues facing many societies, such as issues of wars, misuse of power and identity and the issue of immigration, which is the central theme of the play “I Media” that was shown Saturday in the heart of Naples, one of the capitals of Italian and European theater. Al-Bassam pointed out that the play won a series of major awards at the Carthage Theater Festivals in Tunis and Cairo International for Experimental Theater in December 2021.

Theatrical performances
It was also praised as one of the most important theatrical performances at the present time after it was shown in the most prestigious theaters of Beirut and also in the special show of Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyya in Kuwait. On Saturday, the contemporary tragic lyrical play was shown in Arabic with a tape subtitles in Italian on the stage of the “Politama” theater in Naples, a joint production by Al-Bassam Theater with the Campania Theater Festival Foundation and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).

The audience of the annual international festival interacted with the projection of Greek tragedy (the origin of European cultural anthropology) on contemporary reality and the West’s view of refugees as “strangers” and its handling of the current political and social dimensions in Europe from the suffering of immigrants between racism and rightwing extremism.

The play, written and directed by Al-Bassam and presented by a mixed Arab and European troupe from diverse backgrounds and cross-border theatrical experiences in an expressive theatrical context, succeeded in adapting classical tragedy with a symbolic key to analyzing Western public opinion and the role of digital platforms in fueling extremism and political conflicts. In a context dominated by technological despotism, the character of “I Media” is reclaimed Al- Bassam also played several roles in the work, such as the role of the author on the stage, the treacherous husband “Jason” and the king “Creon”. The musical “Dragon Team” from Lebanon, scenographer Eric Souier, sound engineer Mathilde Dussier from France, lighting director Samir Shaarawy from Egypt, actor and production manager Osama Jamai from Tunisia participated in the work. (KUNA)

This news has been read 9828 times!