28.8.09
When I think “Arabic”, I think “camels”. I think “sand”. I think of deserts, tents, black beards, and flowing tunics. I think in stereotypes. With all of this, and perhaps because of it, I chose to create a course for myself that would allow me to study Arabic Theatre. Of course, studying theatre means more than studying scripts and styles. It means studying history and culture. It means studying art and architecture, war and religion. It means studying everything about a people in order to better understand why they wrote the scripts they wrote, what those scripts tell us about the opinions of the playwright, what meaning lies hidden beneath the words, how the script should be performed, and more. This is what I wish to understand. How does the Arabic culture influence the plays that are produced, and how to the plays themselves reflect, even influence, the culture? If a play is popular, why is it popular? What does its popularity tell us about the people? I seek an understanding of what their playwrights wrote. I seek an understanding of their particular culture. I seek understanding over ignorance.
