Entretien avec Roger Assaf. Théâtre et espace public : entre immersion et divertissement

Abstract

In this interview, Roger Assaf perceives the constraints of the contemporary Lebanese and Arab theatre through the lens of his reflection on the relationship between History, with its dark periods and revolutions, and theatre’s history. Contingent on its historical context, theatre has always oscillated between entertainment and immersion. Assaf evokes his “Al-ḥakawātī theatre” experience as well as the earliest Arab theatre festivals, drawing a comparison between their sociopolitical dynamics and production modes on the one hand, and those of the contemporary Lebanese and Arab theatres, on the other. He believes that the memory of such theatrical experiences, albeit lacunary, is the witness of stifled hopes conveyed by historical revolutions.