Sharjah: Theater director Mohammed Al-Amri delivered a lecture titled “My Experience in Theater Directing” as a prelude to the upcoming thirteenth edition of the Kalba Short Plays Festival, scheduled to begin on September 25th. Al-Amiri’s presentation was a component of the festival’s agenda, aimed at nurturing young talents in the theatrical field.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Al-Amiri, a leading figure in local and Arab theater for over two decades, reflected on his journey from his early days as an actor in plays like “Koot Boumftah” in 1989. He elaborated on the pivotal role of a director as someone who orchestrates and presents a play in an optimal visual and auditory manner. Al-Amiri underscored that a director’s expertise should extend beyond theater to include knowledge in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and physics, as theater is an amalgamation of various sciences and arts.

Al-Amiri emphasized the significance of psychological states in determining actions, explaining that every stage movement and interaction relates to the character’s mental state. He stressed the necessity for actions to be dictated by the performance’s dramatic logic, allowing for authentic and harmonious direction.

He highlighted the importance of continuous learning through engagement with the cast, advocating for a collaborative and inquiry-driven approach. Al-Amiri described his methodology with actors, focusing on facilitating their self-discovery and expressive capabilities rather than enforcing strict guidelines. He argued against using formulaic expressions of emotions, suggesting that subtlety in performance, such as controlled emotion and stillness, can be equally compelling.

Throughout the lecture, Al-Amiri stressed the value of understanding actor motivations, which enables directors to guide without resorting to artificiality, thus enriching the theatrical experience.