Origins of Arabic theatre. (c2017)

Abstract

This comparative study explores the origin of Arabic theatre and its development vis-àvis European theatre. Chapter 1, the Introduction, states the problem and reviews the literature. Chapter 2 observes the contradictory arguments concerning the seeming absence of a native indigenous Arabic theatrical tradition. Hence, this chapter tracks the history of Arabic theatre from its medieval origins to the introduction of European-inspired models in the nineteenth century. Chapter 3 focuses on the beginning of formal Arabic theatre in the nineteenth century in Syria (including Lebanon) and Egypt. The emphasis is on the supposed father of Arabic theatre, Marun Naqqash, and his leading production al-Bakhil (1846). Chapters 4 and 5 examine the implications of crossings in genre and culture, and more in particular the transcultural interaction between early twentieth-century Arab and European theatre—Oscar Asche’s Chu Chin Chow will serve to illustrate this interaction.