RABIAA KHREIS

Algeria – Algerian women who will participate in the eighth edition of the National Cultural Festival for Women's Theatrical Production in Annabah confirmed that the presence of identity and heritage in theater constitutes an artistic necessity that re-reads heritage and gives it new life, considering that this edition opens wide horizons for women's creativity.

Under the slogan "Horizons," the eyes of lovers of the fourth art are turning toward the jewel of the Algerian East, the city of Annabah in the far northeast of the country, about 600 kilometers from the capital, where the activities of the eighth edition of the National Cultural Festival for Women's Theatrical Production are being hosted from the thirtieth of September until the fifth of October.

This edition, hosted by the Regional Theater "Azzedine Medjoubi" and the Culture House "Mohamed Boudiaf," comes with a renewed vision that transcends traditional frameworks; the theatrical woman is not content with the role of performance, but is present as the owner of the vision and the text and the director, opening creative horizons that reflect the diversity of women's issues in society and the artistic scene.

The festival adopted the statue of "Hipponia Annabia" as a central element that encapsulates the city's ancient heritage. The word "Hipponia" is derived from "Hippo," the ancient historical name of Annabah, affirming the depth of belonging to this land. This heritage is manifested in an artistic composition inspired by two prominent figures in national memory: Saint Monica, symbol of the patient Numidian woman, and the priestess, symbol of the warrior woman defending her land. This combination consecrates a feminine presence linking woman to the father of arts as a symbol of strength, civilization, and cultural continuity.

This historical rooting is complemented by the choice of the title "Horizons," which carries a strong suggestion of openness to the future and aspiration to renewed theatrical stations that do not end with the end of this edition. In confirmation of this dimension, symbolic connotations are strongly present to confirm that women in this field are not merely an attractive aesthetic element, but a symbol of strength, civilization, and cultural continuity, which is clearly evident in her carrying the theatrical mask that directly links her to the essence of the fourth art as a space for expression and intellectual resistance.

11 Performances Under the Microscope of Academic Reading

This edition is not limited to the visual artistic aspect only, but will be accompanied by a deep critical and intellectual approach that places the 11 scheduled theatrical performances before an open space for reflection and dialogue. For this purpose, the festival has dedicated a criticism committee comprising an elite of doctors and specialized research professors from various national universities and institutes.

The committee will accompany the 11 performances and monologue shows, whether directed at adults or children, by preparing a critical card for each performance presented and discussed after the shows in open intellectual sessions, away from the logic of scoring, classification, or competition. These cards constitute a constructive tool for observation, reflection, and exchange of views on the various components of the theatrical work, from writing, directing, and performance, to dramaturgy and scenography, down to deconstructing the nature of the human relationship that arises between the performance and the audience.

A Creative Incubator Gathering 37 Creative Women

In a prominent organizational step, the festival launches for the first time the "Forum of Women Holders of Artistic Projects and Women Writers" under the slogan "Your Project, Your Vision, Your Future," placing creative women authors and directors at the forefront of the scene with the ideas, texts, and new visions they carry that contribute to reshaping the features of Algerian theater.

The forum will open a dedicated space for creativity, training, accompaniment, and exchange, with 37 participants from rising feminist talents benefiting from its programs. This training dynamic is distributed over two integrated tracks: the first track includes 24 project holders in a workshop specialized in artistic marketing, developing communication strategies, and valorizing works, culminating in the presentation of 20 projects in public sessions before a professional committee via the Pitch technique to open new development horizons. The second track is dedicated to 13 women playwrights who benefit from specialized individual accompaniment that gives each writer a professional reading that follows the specificity of her text and its development path.

The forum aims to transfer women's theatrical presence from performance to production and management through masterclass programs in cultural marketing, financing, and sponsorship, in addition to Pitch sessions before specialized committees and individual dramaturgical accompaniment, enhancing the establishment of a sustainable feminist theatrical industry.

In parallel with performances and training, the festival celebrates the visual memory of theater through the exhibition "Between Yesterday and Today" for feminist theatrical costumes, the fruit of cooperation between the Regional Theater of Annabah and the Algerian National Theater, in a space that valorizes women's creativity and highlights the role of costumes as living documents that preserve the history of performances and Algerian theater experiences and connect memory, heritage, and contemporary creativity.

Feminist Visions Value the Empowerment Program

The participants in this edition unanimously valued the festival's program, especially the "Forum of Women Holders of Artistic Projects and Women Writers," which they considered a qualitative leap and an unprecedented space that takes them out of the circle of traditional performance into the space of empowerment, marketing, and artistic leadership.

In this context, director and performer Leila Ben Atia, who has won several awards, confirmed that the "Forum of Project Holders" has opened an important horizon for women, as it does not confine her to the position of performer, but gives her the full space to be a project owner, a vision, and a grounded artistic decision.

Regarding the specificity of her participation in this edition, after previous experiences in this feminist forum, Leila Ben Atia revealed that she is taking on the challenge this time as the holder of her new theatrical project "Adigoun," saying that "this project, which I have been working on for some time, I see that the forum has given it the first real opportunity to see the light and be embodied on stage, of course if it earns the merit and valorization and is crowned as the best project."

She confirmed that the presence of identity and heritage in theater is a necessity that re-reads it artistically and gives it new life, emphasizing the responsibility of the Algerian artist in preserving his memory and identity and transforming this heritage into creative material capable of addressing contemporary audiences. This vision meets with the festival's philosophy embodied in evoking the statue of "Hipponia Annabia" as an extended civilizational symbol.

In the same context, Hadia Khethir, an Algerian writer and author, expressed her "happiness at being present in this forum through her project 'She and Memory,' inspired by her novel, which was chosen among the list of projects benefiting from specialized individual accompaniment."

Hadia Khethir sees in this experience a real opportunity for learning, development, and approaching the world of theater, explaining that her text starts from memory, heritage, and identity to open a renewed dialogue between the past and the present. She confirmed that her project's harmony with the slogan "Horizons," which means to her transcending the captivity of the past and launching from it to create a new vision heading toward the future, is in clear intersection with the philosophy of the edition.

She explained that memory is the starting point and that heritage can transform into vibrant creative material that carries the story and reformulates it for the audience. Her vision aligns with the strategic orientation of the edition seeking to transfer women from the limits of performance to the space of leadership as a writer, director, and project owner.

She pointed out that giving women this space is a pivotal step, as she does not only embody the story but is also capable of making it. She also values the festival's move to open spaces, considering that the extension of theater to the street gives it a greater ability to touch the pulse of the audience directly.

During her participation in the "Project Holders" program, she confirmed that she is working on reviving her project "She and Memory" on stage, after it began as a novel before she transformed it into a theatrical work dealing with memory, identity, women, and the human being. She noted that the forum gives her a real opportunity to develop her project through specialized accompaniment, and to learn how to transform the literary idea into an integrated theatrical project, alongside experiencing a new experience as a writer entering the world of theater through the door of living creativity.