SHARJAH, 29th September, 2026 (WAM) -- The 13th edition of the Kalba Short Plays Festival continued its activities on the fourth day, which featured the 12th Sharjah Theatre Research Forum, attended by Ahmed Bourhima, Director of the Department of Theatre at the Department of Culture, and the Director of the festival.
The forum showcases the latest completed academic research produced by postgraduate faculties specialising in Arab theatre. This year, it hosted four researchers whose studies explored the convergence of arts in theatre, the semiotics of the body in playwriting, the dialectic between text and performance, and the development of actors’ imagination.
During the forum’s first session, moderated by Jordanian theatre researcher Osama Al-Jarrah, Moroccan researcher Abdelrahim Salili presented his study, “The convergence of arts in theatre: The role of dramaturgy and directing in dramatic synthesis”, which he completed for his PhD at Ibn Tofail University in 2026.
Salili explained that his thesis examines the poetics of “the theatrical art” and its capacity to theatricalise other art forms without losing their original identity. The study was divided into two sections. The first examined the theoretical roots of the convergence of arts, beginning with Aristotelian theatre, moving through stage writing, and culminating in the dominance of directing and scenographic functions.
The second section focused on practical applications in experimental Arab and Moroccan performances, including the theatre of images explored by Salah Al-Qasab and Karim Rashid, the movement theatre of Asmaa Houry, and works by Tayeb Saddiki, Ahmed Amin Sahel, Khazal Al-Majidi and Moaz Hamza.
The thesis concluded that theatre can become a universal, all-encompassing art by visually, acoustically and physically re-employing local and international art forms.
During the same session, Tunisian researcher Asia Ashour presented her doctoral study at the University of Sousse, titled “The semiotics of the body in Saadallah Wannous’s theatre: A study of selected examples”. The study examined three plays by the Syrian writer: The Rape, Rituals of Signs and Transformations, and The Mirage Epic.
Ashour said her research treated the body as a signifying system that generates meaning and communication beyond verbal language. She employed a semiotic methodology, supplemented by psychological and sociological analysis and by the philosophy of Michel Foucault.
The study comprised a theoretical introduction and two main sections. The first examined the semiotics of space and of scenographic and bodily systems, including movement, silence and looks. The second focused on the mechanisms by which power operates on the body and its various manifestations, ranging from oppression to rebellion.
The thesis concluded that theatrical space and bodily signs are effective tools for exposing human fragmentation and the individual’s struggle with power. It also affirmed that Saadallah Wannous linked human freedom to bodily freedom.
Studies on text, performance and the actor
The second session, moderated by Egyptian researcher Heba Barakat, featured Saudi theatre researcher Nayef Al-Buqami, who presented his study, “Fahd Radda Al-Harthi’s theatre between text and performance: A semiological study of selected examples”. He earned his PhD from the Faculty of Arts at Ain Shams University in Egypt.
Al-Buqami said his research sought to examine signs and their meanings across text and performance, drawing on two plays by Saudi writer Fahd Radda Al-Harthi: A State of Anxiety and Details of Absence. It also aimed to enrich theatre studies by applying academic knowledge of the characteristics of his work, using a semiological methodology.
The study comprised an introduction and two sections. The first analysed the text, including its thresholds, characters, space and intertextuality, while the second examined the performance, including its brochures, acting and scenography.
Among its findings, the study concluded that the thresholds and stage directions in Al-Harthi’s texts reflected political and social turmoil and isolation within Arab reality, while theatrical time was psychological rather than linear. At the scenographic level, the set was characterised by simplicity to highlight the role of the spoken word, while lighting, costumes and music worked together to convey the psychological and intellectual dimensions of the characters on stage.
Egyptian researcher Wissam Osama also presented her doctoral thesis, awarded by Egypt’s Capital University, titled “Deriving techniques for developing the actor’s imagination: An applied study of pre-university education stages”. The study addressed the challenge of developing students’ weak imagination and transforming it into an innovative imagination through precise scientific techniques.
Osama reported employing a combination of descriptive, comparative and field-experimental methods, using a sample of 102 preparatory and secondary school students. The aim was to identify scientific principles for training the imagination and to apply practical models in schools.
Her review of directing methodologies showed how imagination has evolved from an emotional tool into a means of critical awareness. She highlighted the effectiveness of external tools, such as the body, voice and improvisation, alongside internal tools, including the emotional and psychological faculties, in achieving creative depth.
The study concluded that social and psychological obstacles — such as fear, low self-confidence and a lack of family and institutional support — are the main challenges to the development of imagination.
The forum’s sessions also featured a range of interventions from attendees in response to the research presented. At the conclusion, festival coordinator Alia Al-Zaabi presented certificates of appreciation and participation to those who contributed to the sessions.
The evening programme at the Kalba Folk Arts and Theatre Association included three performances.
The first, “It’s You”, was adapted from Aziz Nesin’s The Taurus Monster and directed by Hakob Eid. Tunisian theatre researcher Marwan Al-Salaoui discussed the production at the critical seminar.
The second performance was Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”, directed by Khalil Ibrahim Al-Darmaki. The critical discussion was delivered by Egyptian researcher Basem Ahmed Baraka.
The third was “The Dumb Waiter” by Harold Pinter, directed by Sarah Al-Saadi, with Jordanian researcher Sajida Yasser Al-Omari leading the critical discussion.
The audience award for Best Acting went to actor Yassin Al-Dulaimi for his performance in The Dumb Waiter.