The second day of the 26th Carthage Theater Days (JTC) featured a powerful quartet of official competition plays from Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Senegal, each tackling profound themes through distinct theatrical styles.
From Egypt, “Free Fall” (Souqout Horr), directed by Mohamed Farag Kheshab, transformed the Rio Hall into a compelling courtroom. An adaptation of the American play “Inherit the Wind,” it revisits the infamous 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial” to stage a modern debate on free thought versus dogma. The director employed Brechtian techniques and an immersive, in-the-round stage, turning the audience into the jury and leaving them to deliver the final verdict on this timeless conflict.
In stark contrast, the Lebanese entry “Paradisco” (text and direction by Samer Hanna) offered a musical journey into the afterlife. Staged at the Fourth Art Hall, the play is set in a surreal, 80s-inspired purgatory where characters, unsure if they are dead or in a coma, await their fate. Unfolding as more of a musical comedy, over half of its 100-minute runtime is dedicated to song and dance, using a lighthearted tone to explore themes of reconciliation, fate, and unresolved pasts.
Completing the lineup, Tunisia’s “Sugra” (directed by Hatem Darbal) presented a dystopian critique of humanity. The play follows three characters on a quest for “Sugra,” a fabled utopian city free from pain and death. Through dark, atmospheric scenography, video mapping, and a haunting score, the production exposes the brutality of the modern world and questions whether a perfect society requires the sacrifice of human emotion itself.
The festival continues through its run, showcasing the diversity and contemporary relevance of Arab theatrical production.
Senegal’s “Back” Offers Sharp Satire on a Migrant’s Return
TUNIS – The Senegalese play “Back,” written and directed by Bérengère Brooks, presented an incisive satire on migration, power, and gender on Monday, November 24th, at the Carthage Theater Days (JTC).
Freely inspired by Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s “The Visit of the Old Lady,” the plot centers on the return of Aïda, a wealthy migrant, to her impoverished hometown. Her arrival sparks desperate hopes for economic salvation, exposing the heavy burdens placed on returnees perceived as saviors.
Using humor and irony, the play critiques the social pressures of migration, the manipulation of political power, and the often-invisible narratives of female migrants. The performance, supported by a strong cast and striking lighting design, provoked both laughter and reflection on urgent issues in contemporary Senegalese society.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Douha Essaafi)
