Duo Theatre Festival In Dibba Al Hisn Continues Performances And Elevates Theatre Education

The ninth Duo Theatre Festival continued at the Cultural Centre in Dibba Al Hisn with a programme that combined artistic performances, critical discussions and specialised forums. Theatre professionals and cultural figures from the UAE and several Arab countries attended, alongside audiences who followed both the Egyptian play "Dahab" and sessions of the 21st Sharjah Forum for Arab Theatre, held under the theme "Theatre and Education".

The day opened with the Sharjah Forum for Arab Theatre, moderated by Emirati artist Faisal Al Darmaki, who recalled the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi in building school theatre in Sharjah and across the region. Later activities within the Duo Theatre Festival focused on performance, critique and training linked to theatre and education.

The forum’s first paper, "Theatre and Education: From Philosophical Interconnection to Aesthetic Identification", was delivered by Dr. Said Karimi from Morocco. Karimi traced the long relationship between theatre and education, starting with ancient Greek practices and moving through modern schooling, stressing how theatre has often served as a tool for learning, reflection and values formation in different historical stages.

Karimi examined how educational theatre can sharpen critical thinking among learners and spectators. The presentation then turned to Morocco, where Karimi reviewed school theatre through local performance traditions and the theory of celebratory theatre. Karimi urged cultural and educational bodies to create firm institutional policies that embed theatrical arts in formal curricula, describing this as essential for preparing responsible and engaged citizens.

The second paper, "Theatre as an Educational Medium: The Duality of Pedagogy and Art", was presented by Moroccan researcher Dr. Mohammed Amin Banioub. Banioub argued that educational theatre should move away from rigid instruction. Instead, Banioub said learners benefit when theatre becomes a living experience, where students participate, explore ideas and learn through action rather than memorisation.

Banioub highlighted how dramatic play and staged exercises in schools and universities help young people reveal hidden talents and reshape their personalities. According to Banioub, such practice can support students in dealing with fear, introversion and hesitation. The third paper, "The Educational Function of Arab Theatre in the Age of Digital Transformation", was given by Tunisian academic Dr. Fawzia Dhaifallah, who concentrated on the impact of digital media.

Dhaifallah explained that digital platforms have altered how younger generations perceive art and beauty, affecting attention spans and expectations. Dhaifallah stressed that Arab theatre needs to renew its educational tools so they match the digital environment, while still maintaining theatre’s live, human presence. Dhaifallah insisted that any adaptation should protect the direct interaction between performers and audiences, which remains central to theatre’s teaching role.

{TABLE_1}

Duo Theatre Festival theatre and education in performance and critique

Later, the audience watched the Egyptian production "Dahab", performed by the "Egyptian Artists for Culture" troupe and written, directed and acted by Amr Qabil, with child actress Dana. The approximately sixty-minute duo performance centred on the chance meeting of a withdrawn man burdened by a painful past and a lonely girl abandoned by those closest to her.

Their first exchanges were tense, as the man resisted this intrusion into carefully maintained solitude. Gradually, the harmonica he played began to draw the girl closer, and their shared listening eased suspicion, replacing estrangement with familiarity. By the final scenes, both characters recognised that facing fears and returning home, rather than escape, offered a path to healing their emotional wounds.

A critical seminar followed, moderated by Egyptian actress Iman Imam, who led a discussion of "Dahab". Participants welcomed the way the text addressed children and elderly people within one narrative frame and praised Dana’s steady emotional performance across the full duration. Several speakers asked Qabil about combining authorship, direction and acting, and how these overlapping roles affected rehearsal, staging choices and communication with the young co-performer.

Director Amr Qabil thanked the organisers and described duo theatre as an enjoyable artistic adventure. The discussion ended when Nada Abdullah Al Hassani, from the Social Services Department branch in Dibba Al Hisn, which sponsored the festival’s second day, presented a certificate of appreciation to the Egyptian troupe, recognising their contribution to the Duo Theatre Festival and its focus on theatre and education.

Training also formed a key part of the schedule. The workshop "Theatrical Writing: From Idea to Text", supervised by Dr. Kamal Khladi, ran in two parts. The theoretical section explored what defines writing for school theatre, including suitable themes and techniques, while the practical section focused on the question: "How do we write a text for school theatre?" Participants tested ideas through exercises linking educational goals with dramatic structure.

With inputs from WAM