Collective Ma'louba

The central aim of this project was to establish an Arabic-speaking, international artists’ collective. Its core members – the Syrian director Rafat Alzakout, Syrian author Mudar Alhaggi and Syrian actress Amal Omran – have worked with artists from the Arab region to develop various interdisciplinary projects which focused on producing Arab-speaking theatre performances. The project has created comprehensive, multifaceted works of art which included elements of drama, dance, film, music, readings and workshops. The cultural traditions, legends, and stories of the past and present in the Arabic-speaking region comprised a significant portion of the content. Furthermore, the artists investigated the cultural similarities and differences between Europe and the Arab world. The projects have been developed, rehearsed and produced at the Theater an der Ruhr in Mülheim.
The artists’ collective has created temporary, transnational, multilingual spaces of encounter at the national and international level. The projects went on tour together and separately in order to promote international network building. In order to maintain ties to the Arab cultural region and integrate artistic feedback into the project, the organisers have set up a second production venue at the Théâtre National Tunisien in Tunis, where Fadhel Jaibi, one of the most influential theatre artists in the Arab region, works as a director.

Curator: Rolf C. Hemke
Production management and dramaturgy: Immanuel Bartz
Stage direction: Rafat Alzakout (SY), Fadhel Jaibi (TN)
Writer: Mudar Alhaggi (SY)
Actress: Amal Omran (SY)

Additional Venues:

Co-production Tunis, Quatrième Art – Théâtre National Tunisien, Tunis: 1 Feb. 2017 – 30 Dec. 2018;
Fringe Festival, Edinburgh: 4 –27 August 2017;