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Rabat- The first edition of “Jassad, the International Festival of Women Directors, is taking place from the 25th to the 30th of October. The festival’s fourth day featured a seminar titled “Profession: Woman of Theater” at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat.
The festival, which honors the accomplishments of female directors around the world, featured a number of speakers, including actress and writer Julia Varley, senior lecturer Omar Fertat, stage director Lina Abyad, and theater director Zohra Makach.
Speaking to Morocco World News, Moroccan playwright and writer Issam El Yousfi explained, “this symposium, which is part of the festival, provides a venue for female directors to present their research, and meet the Moroccan public.”
“We attempted to create a space where people could reflect and ask questions about the status of women in theater, how they work, what challenges they face, and how they can position themselves to be more visible and influential,” he added.
El Yousfi stressed, “it is both a space for sharing and reflection as well as the potential for future joint projects.”
“The festival is opening its doors exclusively to women stage directors and I think it’s making a huge difference in [the] stage,” Stage Director and faculty member at the Lebanese American University Lina Abyad told MWN.
Female representation in theater
The stage director also highlighted the festival’s uniqueness as it brought together female directors and discussed many themes related to female representation in theater.
Abyad added: “No matter what we do, I believe we are still behind schedule. For a very long time, patriarchy has pervaded all spheres of society, including the theater, art, and politics.”
“I think it’s time to start this liberation, particularly in the arts, as it relates to how women are portrayed and their social status,” she continued.
Participants at the seminar
Addressing the theme of “female contribution to Moroccan theater,” Omar Fartat emphasized the scarcity of literature on Moroccan women in the theater, noting that studies devoted to this topic are extremely rare.
Fartat mentioned the women who left a mark and strongly contributed to the Moroccan theatrical scene such as Fatema Chebcoub, one of the first Moroccan women to write and direct theater performances.
In a statement to MWN, Zohra Makach expressed her joy at attending the event, saying: “I am delighted to be here; it is a fruitful experience, a debate, an invitation to reflect, and then an opportunity for women to speak as writers and directors.”
“I believe it [the festival] demonstrates that many women are fighting and need to share their worldview with the public,” she continued.
Attendants at the seminar
Makach also stressed the need for an artistic education, saying “ to have an interesting theater, we must invite the young public to attend. I advocate for artistic education in high school and university.”
The seminar provided female stage directors with the opportunity to voice their opinions regarding Morocco’s theatrical scene. Additionally, it called for a more inclusive gender representation in theater, one that does not depict stereotypes and does not misrepresent women.
