The Arab Theatre Training Center

Background on the center:

The Arab Theatre Training Center as a project evolved out of the Arab Arts project online through the help of WebDesign499. The ATTC was officially founded during the sixth Amman International Theatre Festival in 1999 where several training workshops in theatrical arts were organized at the hands of expert professionals. The idea of the center quickly developed to become a specialized center in the field of research and training in the performing arts. Its objectives also grew through the needs assessment using various measurement tools. Several workshops in the performing arts were organized in different Arab countries in cooperation with a variety of artistic organizations and groups.

Objectives:

Contribute towards creating an environment conducive to creativity in the field of the performing arts.
motivating and pushing forward the training movement in the Arab world.
developing the technical, artistic, and managerial capacities of young artists and animators.
Promote and encourage dialogue and communication amongst institutions and animators and artists concerned in the field of the performing arts.
Contribute to the renovation and establishment of alternative spaces for performance and training.
Compile and provide information on training and activities of interest to activists in the performing arts.
Encourage the translation and publication of books and studies in the fields of training and the performing arts.
Promote partnerships and cooperation with Arab and international organizations working in training.

Methodology and approach:

The objectives of the center are achieved through the following means:

Organize workshops, meetings, and seminars in the performing arts field in the Arab world.
contribute towards supporting organizations and groups focusing on training the Arab world through providing facilities, services, consultation, or material support.
Assist young Arab artists and art managers to participate in workshops, meetings, and projects in the field of the performing arts inside and outside the Arab world.
Establish a network of organizations and groups working in the field of training in the performing arts.
Contribute to the rehabilitation and establishment of alternative spaces for performance and training through the organization of training workshops in this area.
Contribute to the translation and publication of creative critical work and specialized research in the field of the performing arts.
Document training workshops, meetings, and seminars organized by the center.
Establish a database/resource center (written and audio-visual) on training in the performing arts, and promote the culture of documentation amongst similar centers.

collect and classify information regarding the performing arts and make it available on the website of the center.
Publish a periodical e- newsletter specialized in the performing arts.
Assess training needs in the field of the performing arts through regular surveys.
Provide free advertisement space on the website to exchange information in the technical, artistic, and professional field.
Document training workshops, meetings, and seminars organized by the center.
Establish a database/resource center (written and audio-visual) on training in the performing arts, and promote the culture of documentation amongst similar centers.
collect and classify information regarding the performing arts and make it available on the website of the center.
Publish a periodical e- newsletter specialized in the performing arts.
Assess training needs in the field of the performing arts through regular surveys.
Provide free advertisement space on the website to exchange information in the technical, artistic, and professional field.

Workshops Topics

movement
vocals
acting
script writing
sound techniques
modern methods in teaching music

lighting design
Theatre criticism
dramaturgue
sound and masks
supporting the leadership and management of art organizations in the Arab world.
Scenography

theatre management
developing alternative spaces
Comedia del’arte
drama in education
Make up
Cartoon film making

dance forum: teaching/learning dance in the arab world
Theatre readings: results of a workshop in script writing
Shadow play
How to organize cultural events in the community
improvisation
documentation

criticism and documentation
Diversity in learning/ Learning societies
modern dance
Video archive
Management of theatre productions
Sound techniques

The ATTC established links with organizations who have contributed to the achievement of the center’s objectives. Some of them are: SIDA, ALISSAR, AAFA, Jesuit cultural center, the Lebanese American University, Al Madina Theatre, Darat al Funoun, The Swiss development agency, the Japan Foundation, amongst others.

Administrative structure

Since the beginning of the establishment of the center it was managed by three executive board members with the assistant of several consultants. The board members were Mona Knio (Lebanon), Hussein Rifai (Bahrain) and Raed Asfour (Jordan). In September 2005 the structure was modified based on newly arising needs and the presence of various artistic expertise close to the center. The board was expanded to include 3 additional members and one of the original board members became the executive director and no longer serves on the board. They are as follows:

Mona Knio (Lebanon)

Theatre light designer.

Assistant professor at the Lebanese American University, theatre light designer.
Email address: mona@akniofils.com

Hussein Rifai (Bahrain)

PR/ Events coordinator

PR and events coordinator, Bahrain University, and actor.
Email address: halriffaei@hotmail.com

Dr. Hanan Kassab Hassan (Syria)

Professor

Professor of theatre criticism
Email address: hanan.k@scs-net.org

Wassim Kurdi (Palestine)

Writer and poet

Writer and poet and specialist in drama in education
Email address: wassim@qattanfoundation.org

Krystel Khoury (Lebanon)

Dance choreography

MA student in contemporary dance choreography
Email address: letsyrk2@hotmail.com

Raed Asfour (Jordan) Executive Director

Scenographer and Theatre Director

Executive director of the Amman International Theatre Festival (1994 – 2004)
Scenographer and Theatre Director
Director of Al Balad Theatre/ Amman – Jordan
Email address: raed@arabttc.org