Damascus-SANA
Al-Qabbani Theatre, located on May 29th Street in the heart of the capital, Damascus, is linked to the contemporary history of the Syrian stage, reminding lovers of Abi al-Funun, the pioneer of Arab theater, Abu Khalil al-Qabbani in the nineteenth century.
When one enters the “Al-Qabbani Theatre,” an old name that the Damascenes used to like, you will see a large portrait of Abu Khalil al-Qabbani in the corridors of the place. Next to it is an old historical document known to visitors to the theater, in addition to many pictures of international and Syrian performances and pictures of major Syrian artists and directors who had performances on this stage. The small ones, such as “An Evening with Abi Khalil Al-Qabbani”, which was shown in 1974.
The establishment of the theater in 1959 was a qualitative leap for the artists working in the national theater at the time, headed by the late Nohad Kalai, where they found a place to embrace them and conduct their rehearsals.
The playwright Joanne Jean, in an interview with SANA Culture, focuses on the intimate relationship that developed between the actors and the Qabbani Theater and the audience, despite its small size, with a capacity of 216 spectators.
Jan points out that Al-Qabbani Theater, which was the cradle of the first performances of the National Theater and the works of major artists, directors and actors since the sixties, began presenting works of an experimental nature after the Al-Hamra Theater was founded nearby.
Regarding the stations that Al-Qabbani Theater has gone through, Jan indicated that it has hosted the performances of the Damascus Theater Festival since its founding in 1969, in addition to the presentations of the Youth Theater Support Project for the Directorate of Theaters and Music and festivals of popular organizations such as Youth Theater and University Theater.
Jan reviews the most important shows that were presented between the sixties and seventies, including “Life is a Dream” by Ali Oqla Arsan and Muhammad Al-Tayeb, “Song on the Corridor” and “Al-Ghareeb” by Asaad Fadda, noting that Al-Qabbani Theater hosted its first theatrical show, “The Coat” in 2000, after which the theater dived. In all the stations of his life, from his studies at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts to his professionalism.
Theatrical director Suhail Al-Uqla considered that Al-Qabbani Theater has a special soul and is distinguished by its unique construction and distinctive technique, despite its small size, as the audience can clearly listen to the whispers of the actors on stage, as this is a unique and rare technique.
Al-Uqla, who hosted Al-Qabbani in 2002, his first show entitled “Nour El-Oyoun” indicates that this stage hosted performances that carried the character of folk theater, such as “The Princess and the Tramp” by the late Nidal Sijari and “Dreams of Tramps” by Muhammad Al-Tayeb, which are completely different from commercial shows.
As for the theatrical actor, Zuhair Al-Beqai, he believed that Al-Qabbani has a rich and important memory, and he holds the playwrights responsible for the performances they present on his stage and makes them keen to present their best efforts, pointing out that he presented on his stage works such as “Macbeth” and others, in addition to performances for children.
The long history of Al-Qabbani Theater made it bring the actors together in a relationship of intimacy and love with the audience, and this was demonstrated by the quality of the theatrical performances that mobilized the audience to follow them and etched in the minds of the recipient indelible memories to make it a bright spot in the history of the Syrian stage.
Hadi Omran
