Saeed Al-Faraj honored at the 7th Gulf Universities Theater Festival; Ibtisam Al-Hamadi joins the jury

The 7th Theater Festival for Universities and Higher Education Institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries was launched yesterday in the Dhofar Governorate of the Sultanate of Oman. The festival honored the distinguished artist Saad Al-Faraj and artist Fakhriya Khamis in recognition of their artistic contributions and their role in enriching the Gulf theater and dramatic scene. The festival will continue until the 29th of this month.

The festival’s theater review committee comprises a select group of theater practitioners and academics from GCC countries. It is chaired by Dr. Abdul-Karim Jawad from Oman, with members including artist Ghanim Al-Sulaiti from Qatar, Dr. Ibtisam Al-Hamadi from Kuwait, theater practitioner Abbas Al-Haik from Saudi Arabia, and theater practitioner Khalid Al-Ruwayi from Bahrain. The committee is tasked with evaluating the performances according to artistic and professional standards, as well as providing critical readings that highlight the theatrical experiences presented by students from Gulf higher education institutions.

Kuwait University is participating with the one-act play “A Poet on the Moon,” whose script belongs to the genre of philosophical science fiction and was written by the writer Tawfiq Al-Hakim. The play will be staged next Sunday as part of the festival’s official competition.

The festival, which runs until the 29th of this month, also features specialized critical sessions, in addition to an intellectual dialogue session addressing the role of theater in shaping youth identity and reinforcing identity and values. Furthermore, a series of events will bring together theatrical performances, critical and dialogue sessions, and “Theater Messages.”