Haya Theatre Festival seeks to set the stage for children

AMMAN —   Haya Theatre Festival starts on Thursday, with the participation of a number of groups from Arab and European countries.

Organised by the Haya Cultural Centre (HCC), the festival aims at spreading the culture of theatre among children and encouraging them to attend theatrical performances, according to the centre’s General Manager Diala Khamra. 

“The festival is held for the second time and we are planning to organise it annually, mainly for children,” she told The Jordan Times. 

Groups from Iceland, Jordan, Lebanon, Spain and Austria will perform a variety of shows at the HCC premises in Amman.  

“Every year, we are working on bringing a new experience to the audience,” Khamra stated.

The HCC official said that the culture of attending theatrical shows benefits children in the long run. 

“These shows will remain in the memory of children for years to come. Theatre has educational and creative goals,” she added. 

 Khamra said the shows target children aged three and above, adding that a total of 3,500 children attended last year. 

This year’s calendar of performances includes “Metamorphosis” by Worlds of Puppets from Iceland, a series of original short stories told through a “delightful cast of puppets”.

The second week will present “The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark”, produced by the London-based Unicorn Theatre and adapted and re-produced for Arabic-speaking audiences by the HCC. 

During the third week, audience members will be exposed to “Let it Rain Chicks” from Lebanon, a puppet-play for children and adults directed by Karim Dakroub.

Ladybug Theatre will be co-presenting the interactive theatre piece “Lulu and Janjoon Go the Moon” directed by Jana Zaineddine. 

As part of week five, “Like Cat and Dog” from Spanish Teatre Animal, will be showcased. It is a performance that creatively integrates visual arts, multimedia and music, according to a statement by the organisers. 

 The closing week of the festival will feature Mozart’s children opera and marionette performance “The Magic Flute” from Austria.

The festival will run through November 11.