“Makassun" and "Coffin" Closes the Curtains on the First Theater Festival of Saudi Universities
The First Theater Festival for Saudi universities hosted by King Khalid University for five days came to a close that can only be characterized as a resounding success. The stage was set for the theater teams of King Saud University and Taif University to perform the final acts.
On the Mahala Campus stage, the theater team at King Saud University presented the play "Makassun" written by Khaled Al-Shuraimi and directed by Saud Al-Turki. The environment was set in the desert, which prominently featured Arab social life in the pre-Islamic era.
After the performance, the daily symposium was presented. Theatrical artist Rashid Al-Warthan spoke about the text of the play saying it is like "popular gossip” in an attempt to mirror the reality of this day and age. He indicated that "Makassun" means taxes taken by tribes from traders crossing their territory. As for the technical aspects, he said, "The decoration was not expressed in the desired format. The director did not create the display area as required, and the sound effects need to be further developed." Al-Warthan praised the performance of the students for their brilliant performance alongside excellent fashion choices made by the wardrobe designer.
To conclude, Dr. Mansour Al-Harthy provided constructive criticism, stressing that King Saud University is a pioneer at the level of the Saudi theater. He further related that although the performance was hampered by "numerous cognitive errors in the text of the play," it was still one to remember.
