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أخر تحديث للموقع في :: 2008-11-21
Activities »» art
THEATRE
AL-KHAYYAL AL-SHAABI (THE POPULAR IMAGINATION)
Founded in 2001, relies in its work on experimentation in an ongoing workshop, which aims at developing the possibilities of the actor – artistic as well as human. The group presents a travelling theatre performance, and also conducts workshops for children and for trainers.
TRAVELLING THEATER FOR CHILDREN
Playing, singing and telling stories ……
The Group al-Khayyal al-Shaabi is a travelling theatre company, playing at any place, the street, a courtyard, a simple hall.
Our performances are made to meet a young audience and stimulate to thought and creativity. Our materials are everyday, simple and easily recognizable … in the everyday creativity and imagination is born. Playing with popular artistic forms and with the everyday is a way of reaching and creating a space for dialogue and a creative recognition with our audience of children and youth all over the country.
The importance of travelling, of being able to go to the audiences, is our solution to the fact that a vast majority of Egyptians have no access to cultural production, except perhaps through television…
The group has travelled widely, and made some 50 performances in city and villages in Cairo and surroundings, el-Minya, Qena, Port Said, El Fayoum, el-Mahalla el Kobra, Armant, Garagos,….
Two plays produced to date:
1- “Al-Khayyal al-Shaabi Plays” : for the younger audience
A performance based on interaction between theatre group and audience. There are puppets (Araguz), a circus act, and a session of singing and playing games. In the play, the audience is directly involved in finding a solution and so creating “The End”, of the story.
2- “Taala Buss!” (Come and See!): for older children & youth
Created in a collective production workshop with Pascal Forner (director of Bouldegum Theatre company, Marseille, France).
“Taala Buss! Come and See!
The travelling market comes to town!
What do they bring? There’s fruit and vegetables, bread and clothes, colours and carts and all kinds of stalls.
How much does it cost? It’s all for free! For you and for me, you just sing a little and smile and you see…
… stories, play and songs is what live in this market …”
The play “Taala Buss” is an experiment combining object theatre, puppets and song. The play comes with its characters of salesmen and their travelling market: it starts by a procession in the town, the sellers shouting out their presence and inviting passers-by to join, and come with them to see the market / the show.
Each seller brings his/her story, and lets their sales places – the material of the market – transform into theatre scenes and décor. The stories are very Egyptian, and completely universal … they may tell of woman’s struggle for independence, about forbidden love, about political freedom, about meeting the other … but all of this without words, making use of meanings and symbols that grow out of the market stalls – poor vegetables and rich fruit; the coffee-shop’s weak plastic mugs against stronger glass-cups; the bread seller’s stall can be a cage … at the end, the spectators make up their own stories.
THEATRE WORKSHOPS
1. Childrens’ Workshops
Theatre is a space where we can imagine new worlds, and understand better the one we live in. In this space, the individual can express himself freely, but also learn to listen and work with the collective.
Al-Khayyal al-Shaabi gives workshops in theatre, puppets, shadow-play and song for children. The initiative of the participants themselves is the base of all activities: the stories are created by the children, and all décor or puppets are made by them. We use methods that aim at creating an environment of trust and respect between the children, through which they learn to work in a group and carry shared responsibility for their work.
We have worked with more than 20 different groups of children of varying socio economic background in Cairo, Alexandria and al-Fayum.
2. Training Of Trainers
We also work with adults, giving workshops in drama method and group-work. Such method workshops for adults have been given in Cairo, Alexandria, Qena & Armant (for teachers, students, and child-workers).
THE MEMBERS OF AL-KHAYAL AL-SHAABI
- Ahmed ABD EL NAEEM
- Diana CALVO
- Dina OMAR
- Marwa HUSSEIN
- Mostafa WAFI
- Neama MOHSEN
- Pepa CONDE
- Shaker SAID
- Yaqoub LINDFORS
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