The founder of Al-Madina Theater, Nidal Al-Ashqar, perseveres to keep art pulsating with science and hope in every activity that takes place on its stage. It spares no effort to revive the “Kaleidoscope” art festival on time every year, and prints it each time with flavors and artistic choices that it draws from a pioneering theatrical background that characterizes it.
This year, Al-Ashqar announced the “Mishkalal” program, a youth forum rich in local creative talents. The festival begins on the 11th of September and continues until the 14th. And it was decided that the current year would take a different turn, so that the pioneers of different arts would devote themselves to reviving it. She explained to Asharq Al-Awsat: “Usually students, students and emerging talents organize this festival, and they revive it with initiatives that they attend and choose, so they accompany a new generation, teaching them the origins of the art game. This year, I wanted to change the rules of the game so that adults take on the task of educating the young, so they live with the students an interesting and varied program that benefits them in various fields. The big title of (Kaleidoscope) in its 11th edition is (Adults Play), and I personally chose its artistic elements that are dominated by craftsmanship that we yearn for in the art world.
Soprano Ghada Ghanem and a voice workshop (Al-Madina Theatre)
This craftsmanship that Nidal Al-Ashqar is talking about lies in the names of brilliant artists who did not pass unnoticed on the scene, so they either left their distinctive mark with their voices and representations, or with their brushes and abilities on stage. Among them are Ghada Ghanem, Karim Dakroub, Fayez Kazak, and others.
Each of these artists will provide the rising youth, students and students with diverse talents, with their experiences, through workshops or educational ateliers and direct artistic performances, all of which are held on the stage of the “City Theater” located on Al-Hamra Street.
Recently, this theater witnessed a rehabilitation workshop in order to remain in its best condition, and to be able to keep pace with theatrical art in Lebanon and at the required level. Al-Ashqar tells us: “Indeed, we have rehabilitated the city’s theater, and this process took about two months of time. Here, it must be noted that the financing of this process, like other things that our theater is witnessing, belongs to the Lebanese civil society. We do not receive any donations from abroad. All funding is local thanks to theater lovers. This is something that personally gives me confidence, as there are still Lebanese who care about their theaters and their survival.
The restoration process covered techniques in theatre, lighting tools, carpeting, and acoustics as a whole. The most prominent of these restorations is that of the stage. “We replaced it with a new stage, which is one of the largest stages in Beirut. I remember a day when we decided to allocate a space for it when establishing the city theater, I had to cancel 6 rows of seats, so that it appears as it is today in size and capacity.
Returning to the “Kaleidoscope” program, in its 11th edition for this year, it will start on the 11th of this year with two artworks. It opens with the “Bikard Beirut” concert with the artist, Hala Ramadan, at eight in the evening. It is a Lebanese youth group founded by Ramadan in 2018.
This concert is preceded by the same night, a show by the cartoonist Walid Shehab, as part of an educational workshop for this art, for which the doors of the Noha Al-Radi hall in the “Al-Madina Theater” are opened at seven in the evening.
On the second day of the “Mishkal” activities, that is, on the current 12th, Ghada Ghanem, who specializes in operatic singing, organizes a 3-hour group oriental singing workshop, including 45 minutes of teaching her how to warm up the voice and focus on using its mechanisms. In the remaining two and a quarter hours, there will be group singing, including songs by Fayrouz, the late Warda, Umm Kulthum, and others. This workshop is being organized under the title “Give It Up, Get It.” Al-Ashqar commented to Asharq Al-Awsat: “Ghada Ghanem is a master of singing and fighting for authentic art. She intends to establish a women’s singing club for all ages soon.
At 8:00 pm on September 12, Karim Dakroub will hold a workshop on the art of Lebanese puppet theater, in which artists who have been working in this field for nearly 30 years will participate. In this free professional, amateurs and pioneers will learn how to move puppets, and the rules of acting in which the actor is absent from the stage behind the puppet.
Syrian actor Fayez Kazak participates in “Mishkal” for the current year (Al-Madina Theatre)
The participation of the Syrian actor, Fayez Kazak, is one of the high-level options offered by the festival. On the 13th of this year, specifically at three in the afternoon, Kazak presents a “master class” on the importance of the concept of improvisation, and deals with it as a scientific method for the trained actor. It is known that Kazak is a Syrian actor, director and author. He taught the preparation and training of theatrical actor at the British “Rose Broadford” College. Nidal Al-Ashqar explains, “I went to him personally at the Higher Technical Institute in Syria, where he teaches, and I asked him to participate with us in this year’s edition, and he agreed, hoping to participate again next year.” On the same night, a ceremony honoring the late Lebanese playwright Magdi Bou Matar will be held at seven in the evening. Under the title “Magdi Bou Matar, a flame of fire,” Nada Homsi presents a theatrical performance written and directed by Lina Abyad.
“Mishkal” concludes its activities with a “stand-up comedy” show with Alaa Abu Diab, entitled “Mish Abyad”.
Al-Ashqar points out, in the context of her speech, that the “City Theater” will remain the cultural beacon of Beirut. And she continues, “We may be the only ones present on Al-Hamra Beirut Street today, because after there were about 14 theaters and cinemas that colored this ancient street, we have become the only vibrant professional today, and we adhere to it, because without it, the city will lose its artistic glow.”
