Arab world<\/a>. With that in mind, let\u2019s dig a little deeper and see what we can find out about the Arab playhouse.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Shadow Puppets<\/h2>\n
In Cairo during the middle ages, khayal al-zill<\/em> (or “shadows of the imagination”) was a famous form of puppetry. The rich and poor alike enjoyed these sometimes simple, sometimes complex, sometimes serious sometimes funny plays.<\/p>\nPerhaps no one was more famous in the world of khayal al-zill<\/em> than 13th century poet and playwright Ibn Daniyal. Born in Iraq, this eye doctor cum playwright found his way to Cairo and became quite a major figure in shadow puppetry. Today, three of his works have survived as fine examples of Arabic drama in the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Passion Plays<\/h2>\n
Another vital part of Arab theater history is the passion play that started in Iraq known as ta’ziyah<\/em>. Performed the month of Muharram, Shi’as observe the death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussein in 680A.D. at Karbala. During the first nine days of the month, sheikhs and imams recite the details Hussein\u2019s life with great feeling.<\/p>\nAt the same time, you\u2019ll find groups of men dancing like crazy through the streets in acts of wild self-flagellation. A parade of bloodied men and horses follow on the 10th day. One of the horses, a steed, stands for the war-horse of Hussein. Men cry chants of sorrow, answered by wails of mourning females. The play takes 40 or 50 scenes to complete, ending at sunset on the 10th day of Muharram.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Modern Arab Theatre<\/h2>\n
In the Middle east of today, censorship and conflict have maintained a strong presence. As a result, \u00a0growth in theatre arts has been little. Today\u2019s Arab theater is swayed by Western theater, \u00a0versions of which can be found in early 20th<\/sup> century Egypt. In Cairo\u2019s theater of the late 1800s and early 1900s, you\u2019ll find plays that sent messages of nationalism. Along with them, you\u2019d also find messages of freedom from British and French colonialism.<\/p>\nModern Arab theater has since branched out from Cairo, however. For instance, you\u2019ll find the Arab Theater Institute \u2013 an Arab theater training center in Sharjah, UAE \u2013 training young actors and playwrights in the fine art of theater.<\/p>\n
Do you enjoy just watching plays? Then head to Palestine where you\u2019ll find The Arab-Hebrew Theater, Jaffa\u2019s only multilingual theater.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, there are other places outside of the Middle East that you\u2019ll find young Arab thespians honing their craft. Start with the New Arab American Theater Works in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can also visit the Arab High School Musical Theater. It really has nothing to do with Arabs except the name. (It\u2019s located on Arabian Drive in Arab, Alabama.) However, they put on some classic shows including the new Legally Blonde \u2013 The Musical which sounds like a fun time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Save the Drama for Your Mama When it Comes to Learning Arabic<\/h2>\n
We\u2019re not being dramatic when we say that learning Arabic isn\u2019t as difficult as some make it out to be. In fact, it\u2019s quite easy and convenient with the Kaleela Arabic Language Learning app. Learn Arabic your way on your time. At the office, on the bus, or during your lunch break, you can learn Arabic in just minutes a day. Stop acting like you want to learn a language a start learning Arabic now. Visit our website at www.kaleela.com<\/a> to find out more.<\/p>\nKaleela \u2013 Learn Arabic the Right Way!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Although stage plays didn\u2019t really come to the region until the 1800s, Arab theatre history goes back hundreds of years. In fact, the history of Arab theater includes puppetry, storytelling and religious plays. Still, theater has never really been a famous art form in the region for a number of reasons.\u00a0 As a result, you\u2019ll […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[65,67],"class_list":["post-7894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-arab-culture","tag-learning-arabic-words-amp-expressions"],"yoast_head":"\n
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