Theater for life…life in theatre
Alsayed Alsir
Death looms and lurks for life in every inch of the homeland after the war of April 15, 2023, but no matter what, our reserve of the will to live will not be defeated by the makers of death, for we (we love life if we can find a way to it).
In Sudan’s cities and villages, which are surrounded by death and darkness on all sides, playwrights light candles defending life despite their miserable circumstances. They meet displaced men and women in shelter centers and residents, with whom they share thoughts, visions, and hidden joy. Nearly fifty male and female artists in various theatrical productions professions, most of whom were transformed by the war into displaced persons, present show after show for no significant compensation.
From there comes this article, which is mainly indebted to my friends, the scenographer Saher Mustafa, the director Rabie Youssef, and the playwright Omar Al-Hajj…it comes as a documentation and celebration of all the playwrights out there.
The theatrical performances that I document were presented in the cities of Wad Madani and Port Sudan.
*Wadmadani offers:
1.Barricades:
Written and directed by Rabie Youssef
Assistant director, Maysarah Hena Bakhit and Muhammad Al-Bahr.. Acting by Muhammad Ahmad Al-Shaer, Nasr Al-Din Abdullah, Ghadeer Mirghani, Abbas Al-Lafif, Muzdalifah Al-Haj, Mutasim Al-Jabour, Anwar Hassan, and Salma Madani.
2. Our Happy Family Magazine:
Written and directed by Atef Al-Bahr.. Assistant Director Muhammad Al-Bahr.. Acting by Nasr Al-Din Abdullah, Aida Muhammad, Ghadeer Mirghani, Rabie Youssef, Abbas Al-Lafif, Salma Madani, and Muzdalifah Al-Haj.
3. Kida Ma Sah Ya Salah:
Written by Omar Al-Hajj… starring Ghadeer Mirghani, Khaled Balla, Muhammad Al-Sarraj, and Salma Ibrahim.
*Port Sudan shows:
1. In times of war:
Written by Kuwaiti Abdul Rahman Hammadi..
Prepared by Osama Maksab
Directed by Muhammad Othman..
Acting by the band (Habashtakat)
2. The edge:
Written and directed by Osama Maksab… Acting by the band (Habashtakat)
3. Kida Wu Kida:
Written and directed by Osama Maksab..
Representing the band (Habashtakat)
4. Najat:
Written by Mahmoud Talib.. Acting by Maryam Youssef and Nariman Fayez..
Directed by Qasim Al-Arabi
5. Asma Ya Abdul Sami:
Written by Moroccan Abdel Karim Berchid. Acting by Qasim Al-Arabi and Omnia Fathi. Directed by Maher
Hassan Sayed.
6. The shadow:
Written by Muhammad Ahmed Al-Filabi. Acting by Mahmoud Idris, Abdel Ghaffar Khaled, and Radhi Fayez.
Directed by Omnia Fathi
7. The elephant, king of time:
Written by Saadallah Wannous..
Representing the band (Habashtakat)
And Mohamed Kaza, Omnia Fathi, and Amin Shabo
And a group of children.
Directed by Atef Qutiri.
8. The story of the sea echoed by the mountain:
Making a show by director Walid Al-Alfi.. “Workshop”… Representing the Raseef group.
9. Hasamni:
Written and directed by Rabie Youssef..
Assistant director Faisal Hassan..
Scenography by Saher Mustafa.. Acting by Amira Ahmed Idris, Ibrahim Komik, Qasim Al-Arabi, and Omnia Fathi.
10. Our Happy Magazine: “Our Happy Family Magazine”:
Written by Atef Al-Bahr
Directed by Rabie Youssef
Scenography by Saher Mustafa… Acting by Nasr al-Din Abdullah, Amira Ahmed Idris, and Abdel Salam Jalloud
And Ibrahim Kumik, Salma Madani, and Muzdalifah Al-Hajj
11. Do what is possible:
Written by Ashraf Bashir.
Represented by Abdel Salam Jalloud and Rifaat Al-Sir
And Naji Hawaya Allah
And Muzamil Abdul Qadir
And Muhammad Ahmed Al-Zaki
Nasibah Najm al-Din
And Amer is your uncle
Directed by Faisal Hassan
12. Mihna: Written by Muhammad Ahmed
Al-Filabi: represented by Mahmoud Idris, Mohamed Nour, Radi Fayez, Abdel Ghaffar Khaled, Omnia Fathi and Amin Shabo.
Directed by Faisal Hassan.
13. The story of war and peace, and peace be upon you:
Written and directed by Atta Shams El Din..
Representing Nizar Muhammad Juma
And Amin Shabo, Omnia Fathi, and the child Shati Walid Al-Alfi.
(After Nizar traveled, he was replaced once by actor Atef Qutiri and once by actor Chaboubi).
*In radio drama:
With Radio Dabanga, the series “Jabal El-Dhagina” was produced – 15 episodes – written and directed by Rabih Youssef, recorded and edited by Yasser Al-Sheikh… representing the elite of the displaced actors and actresses in Wad Madani and the residents.
*In training workshops:
In Wad Medani, directors Atef Al-Bahr and Rabie Youssef held two workshops, the first produced the show “Naima is Pregnant” and the second produced the show “Our Happy Family Magazine.” Rabie also held a workshop that produced a show that was presented in 14 shelter centers sponsored by UNICEF.
Also in Port Sudan, a number of theatrical workshops were held under the supervision of professors Walid Al-Alfi, Nabil Satti, Dr. Tariq Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Al-Khalifa.
Finally, it was pointed out that some plays were produced with the support of some civil society organizations and the Union of Writers and Artists in Port Sudan, and that other cities and villages witnessed theatrical performances.
