LEADING THEATRE PROFESSIONALS FROM THE ARAB WORLD TAKE PART IN THE EDINBURGH SHOWCASE2009

Amateurs, student groups, established and emerging theatre artists gathered in Edinburgh last August to present and see different types of theatre performances attracted by the Fringe Festival and Edinburgh International Festival.

Edinburgh’s streets, shops, car parks, private flats and traditional theatres embraced the festival’s 2,098 shows (34,265 performances) offering visitors a lifetime’s experience of theatre in this welcoming and inspiring city.

In its efforts to create opportunities for creative collaboration between theatre professionals from the Arab world and the UK, the British Council invited a delegation of 14 theatre professionals from the Near East and North Africa to attend Edinburgh Showcase, a week long selection of British performances, organised between 24 and 29 August alongside the Fringe and International festivals.

Through the Showcase’s 35 performances and programme of events, delegates saw a diverse range of theatre productions, met with their peer from different parts of the world and participated in networking events.

Oussama Ghanam, Professor / Dramaturgy / Curator at the High Institute of Music and Theatre in Syria, said ‘The Showcase presents a platform on which we can build collaboration between the UK Theatre and the Arab Theatre… this will lead to a productive dialogue with others and a way to introduce them to the Arab Theatre.’

One of the important highlights was the Seminar on Arab Theatre shared by the Arab delegates and the UK Theatre Professionals on Thursday 27 August, which provided opportunities for the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience between professionals, as well as a platform for voices from the Arab World to highlight current trends in contemporary Arabic theatre, with a view to increasing collaborative creative exchange in the performing arts.

Noel Witts, Professor Performing Arts at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK, said ‘This seminar is a good opportunity for us to make contact with Arab theatre… We really must make contact with the other Arab nations’

In addition to the performances and networking session, delegates found in the Showcase a good opportunity for creative collaborative working for young and emerging theatre makers.  

Nivine Ibiary, Director of Workshops, Programs and Residencies at Studio Emad Eddin Foundation in Egypt, said ‘It is a great opportunity to give a chance to a young Arabic emerging artist or director to be part in the organization and the preparation of the programme which helps in gaining experience in such an important Showcase’

This participation in the Showcase was organised within the framework of a broader British Council project supporting creative collaboration between theatre professionals in the region and the UK - increasing international exposure, enhancing awareness and enriching mutual dialogue.

For more information about the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe Festival, please go to: www.eif.co.uk and www.edfringe.com