Masks, fabrics and destinies<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The second day of a two-day performance by the El Hanager theater
\ncompany, as part of Art Summit Indonesia 2004, will be staged on
\nWednesday at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Aqnea, Aqmesha, wa Massaer (Masks, Fabrics and Destinies) is a
\npiece written by Kassem Muhammad, an expatriate Iraqi artist
\nliving in the United Arab Emirates and directed by
\nHaniEl-Mettenawi. This production, which is filled with young
\nactors, is a refreshing burst of life and full of ideas.<\/p>\n
Previously, Hani El-Mettenawy also directed Mohamed Abul-
\nSeoud's Meta-Phaedra which represented Egypt in CIFET (Cairo
\nInternational Festival for Experimental Theatre) 2001. Aqnea
\nAqmesha wa Massaer was presented at the 15th Egyptian
\nInternational Experimental Theater Festival in 2003.<\/p>\n
The performance was chosen to represent Egypt in the festival,
\nalongside festival icon Walid Aouni. The wisdom of the selection
\ncommittee was proven when Aqnea, Aqmesha wa Massaer won the award
\nfor best ensemble piece.<\/p>\n
The world is projected as an endless dark tunnel, one big
\nprison, one mass grave, and a deadly game of chess-cum-gory
\nbattlefield inhabited by monstrous, warring creatures, half-
\nhuman, half-beast. In the world, time has been annulled, love
\nperishes, innocence goes blind and women give birth astride the
\ngrave.<\/p>\n
The force of the imagery is enhanced by the vocal composition,
\nwhich is equally intricate and evocative. Whether the actors
\nhiss, whisper, hum and chant, or groan, lament and scream, it is
\ninvariably according to a careful calculated pattern of sound and
\nsilences and in the rhythm with Abu Bakr El-Sherif's music and
\ndrums.<\/p>\n
The play is an outstanding example for the dramatic potential
\nof the struggle of peace and war. While this is not a war saga,
\nit sums up the history of mankind by elaborating the themes of
\nwar and peace in some very creative ways.<\/p>\n
The story begins in the darkness on the stage, with one
\nspotlight focused on an imaginary-like figure, who almost appears
\nto be suspended from a high ceiling. A woman's voice is heard
\nwarning people of the fate they will face as a result of their
\nweakness and greed.<\/p>\n
After a beautiful and poetic monologue, Teiresias, the world's
\noldest seer -- present when Oedipus tried to escape destiny, not
\nrealizing that he was running straight into it -- takes the
\nstage.<\/p>\n
Initially in the story, Kassem focussed on Iraq, the
\ndestruction and massive loss of life it has suffered in two
\nsuccessive wars and the rule of terror that paved the way for
\nboth of them. During rehearsals, however, the author and
\ndirector, Hani El-Mettenawi, decided to expand the scope of the
\nwork.<\/p>\n
\"We thought it would be better to transform it into a general
\ncondemnation of the power\/blood lust that has bedeviled humanity
\nsince the beginning of creation,\" Hani said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/masks-fabrics-and-destinies-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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