In this context, Minister of Culture Mustafa Rawashdeh discussed the ongoing preparations for hosting the festival during a meeting last Sunday morning in his office with the head of the Jordanian Artists Association, Dr. Hani Al-Jarrah, in the presence of former head of the association Hussein Al-Khatib, board member Mohammad Al-Marashdeh, and Director of the Theatre Directorate, director Ishaq Yassin.
Rawashdeh emphasized the importance of the upcoming edition, noting that holding the festival for the third time in Jordan confirms the Kingdom's cultural status and its role in supporting the Arab theatrical movement, and reflects the trust of Arab theatre artists in Jordan's capabilities to host and organize major artistic events.
He pointed out that the Ministry of Culture is providing the necessary facilities to ensure the success of this edition, which attracts theatre artists, critics, and guests from various Arab countries, calling for the concerted efforts of the relevant bodies and institutions to organize a cultural and artistic event worthy of the festival's status and its importance in Arab theatrical life.
For his part, Al-Jarrah expressed his appreciation for the Minister of Culture's presidency of the Higher Committee overseeing the festival, confirming the readiness of Jordanian artists to contribute to the success of the upcoming edition. He also called for expanding the scope of activities to include various Jordanian governorates, which would enhance the spread of theatrical culture, broaden the audience base, and allow for the showcasing of national theatrical experiences to the participating Arab guests.
The upcoming edition gains additional importance given the nature of the program announced by the Arab Theatre Institute, as it includes theatrical performances competing for the His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi Award for the Best Arab Theatrical Work, alongside hosted performances that do not enter the competition, selected to enhance the festival's content and provide space for diverse and emerging Arab theatrical experiences.
The financial value of the award is 100,000 UAE dirhams, and it is granted to the best performance according to approved artistic criteria, while the selection process is based on the quality of the works, the integration of their elements, and their ability to present renewed theatrical visions with Arab content and a humanitarian dimension.
The festival is not limited to theatrical performances but includes a program of intellectual, critical, media, and training activities, providing a space for dialogue between artists, critics, and researchers, and for exchanging experiences regarding the transformations of Arab theatre, its aesthetic and intellectual questions, and the development of performance languages and theatrical working methods.
The Arab Theatre Institute had announced Amman's hosting of the seventeenth edition and signed the organization agreement with the Jordanian Artists Association. The Higher Supervisory Committee and the Executive Committee were announced as part of the transition to the practical and technical arrangements necessary to complete the edition.
The festival returns to Jordan for the third time, after Amman hosted its fourth edition in 2012 and its twelfth edition in 2020, as an extension of the partnership between the Arab Theatre Institute and Jordanian cultural and artistic institutions, and the role played by the Kingdom in hosting Arab theatrical events and providing spaces for communication and creative exchange.
