Art & Culture: Lebanon International Theater Festival 2016 programme, from the South to Beirut

Lebanon International Theater Festival 2016 has released the programmed theater plays that will be shown at Nabatiyeh from 20 to 26 August 2016.

The Festival is organized by Istanbouli Theatre and Tiro association for Arts with the support of the Municipality of Nabatiyeh, Tyre, the Ministries of Culture and Tourism of Lebanon and Regie Libanaise as well as the collaboration of the Federation of municipalities of Alshaqif .

Theatre participants from Algeria, Iran, Lebanon, Argentina, Syria, Palestine, Tunisia, Lybia, Iraq, Spain and Sloveniahave gathered to offer a wide variety of theatre pieces that will give a vision of the independent theatre movement in the Middle East, North Africa, South America and Europe.

The Opening of the Festival will take place on Saturday, August 20th, 6pm, at the «Stars Cinema» of Nabatiyeh with a Street carnival that will kick off in front of the Hassan Kamel Al Sabah and will go to the doors of the Stars Cinema, which is reopening after a 27 years closure. Stars Cinema inside ceremony will start at 7pm and two plays will be shown : Wood Horse, under the direction of Abo Alfazl Tabasi, an Iranian theatre piece showing traditional ceremony of harvest and wedding celebration, and Sonata Lead, under the direction of Iraqi Hussein Joubar, a play on wartime labyrinth and the language of bullets.

Sunday, August 21, 6,30 pm, «Stars Cinema» stage will offer the piece The weeping of Mona Lisa a cooperation between Libya and Tunisia, directed by Abdul Hadi, a work on the conflict between time and memories. At 8,30pm Mesh Rakbi by Lebanese director Zine El Abidine Sibai, a theatre play on the political reality of Lebanon.

Monday, August 22, 8,30pm, at the Al Medina Theatre of Beirut, the Slovenian theatre play Mahmoud directed by Peter Sprçiç, a story about people who are forced by cruel and inhumane circumstances to flee from their birthplace.

Tuesday, August 23, 6pm, the city of Tyre will host a Street carnival departing from the doors of the closed Al Hamra Cinema under the slogan "We want Al Hamra Cinema back". At 7 pm Wasil Theatre will perform their piece Your stories on stage, an improvisation working with the stories of the audience made by this team composed of actors and actresses coming from Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. At 9pm the Culture movement centre of Tyre will show the play No rooster crows, of Lebanese director Samir Sekmany, a solo play on an Arab citizen facing the corruption of the regulations.

Wednesday, August 24, 6,30pm, back to Nabatiyeh Stars Cinema, the University of Antonine, Lebanon, under the direction of Michel Hourani presents the play Crime in Goat Island. At 8,30 pm, Argentina theatre play Fahrenheit, the other story,under the direction of Diego Biancotto a piece inspired by Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451.

Thursday, August 25, 6,30pm, Stars Cinema stage will show Lebanese Takwin Group dance performance for a band composition, at 8,30pm, Slovenian play Mahmoud.

Friday, August 26, 6,30pm, Devil's saliva written and directed by Algerian Haroun al-Kilani, a play on a sufi ritual dancer. At 8pm the Jury will declare the official results of the Festival for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Direction, Best scenegraphy, Best theatrical text and Best dramaturgia.

Lebanon International Theatre Festival 2016 brings the reopening of the STARS CINEMA of Nabatiyeh that has been closed for 27 years, and that now opens thanks to the efforts and work of Istanbouli Theatre students and director, Kassem Istanbouli, that have been volunteering on its restoration and rehabilitation. The Festival aims to consolidate the theatrical movement of the South of Lebanon by gathering independent theatre companies from all over the world with the theatre made by Lebanese universities and young independent theatre companies. The Festival will in addition offer formative discussions on theatrical performances.