The Riad Sultan Theater located in the medina of Tangier has, for three years, been a place of cultural and artistic influence, with the programming of a series of theatrical performances, concerts and cultural meetings, on a local, national and international scale.
“The city of Tangier experienced, three years ago, a unique cultural adventure of its kind, the birth of the Riad Sultan Theater,” indicated the management of the theater in a press release, noting that this is the first local theatrical structure, designed and produced with passion by the Bab El Bahr Cinémasrah Association, and the result of a collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication – department of culture, the wilaya of the region of Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceïma, the regional council and municipality of Tangier.
“By taking stock of three years of this exceptional experience, the Riad Sultan Theater took up the challenge,” continued the same source, indicating that the structure presented 60 theater shows to its audience, an average of 20 shows per year, 64 concerts and 37 meetings, in addition to three film screenings as a first experience for the last quarter of 2024.
Although its capacity does not exceed 130 seats, the Riad Sultan Theater managed to attract a total of 14,002 spectators during this short period of its experience, including 4,718 in 2022, 4,123 in 2023, and 5,161 in 2024, noted the press release.
Furthermore, training and learning being priority and fundamental sections in the theater register, three permanent training workshops were launched during this season, namely the “theater and circus” workshop, with four sessions per month for the benefit of 53 children, including 26 aged 7 to 10 and 27 aged 11 to 17, the “contemporary dance” workshop, with one session per month and the “theater for adults” workshop.
In addition, Riad Sultan Theater launched many events in Tangier during the first three years of its experience, in partnership with other parties. In this sense, the “Tanger F’rja” project was launched in two consecutive editions (2022 and 2023), under the slogan “Outside the walls of the Riad Sultan Theater, between the walls of the medina”.
This project, which aims to revitalize the public squares of the medina of Tangier, is a great initiative which aims to revalorize the heritage urban space of the city of Tangier and to encourage socio-cultural interactions within these historic sites, noted the press release, noting that to show how culture and sport can meet in an enriching way, the Bab Bhar Cinemasrah Association, on the occasion of the 2023 Club World Cup, opted for the organization of artistic events to entertain football fans and highlight Moroccan culture.
These open-air events, which took place in different public squares over ten days, not only entertained the public, but also made it possible to promote Moroccan culture on a national and international scale, continued the same source.
-In order to underline its strong commitment to the young talents of the Moroccan scene and as part of the 24th edition of the National Theater Festival, the Riad Sultan Theater hosted the “First staging” program, which offered a platform for young directors to present their first creations and share their artistic visions with the public.
The organization of the second edition of the “Jacaranda Spring for Mediterranean Theater” shows a desire to celebrate and enrich the Mediterranean theater scene, noted the press release, adding that in 2024, the Riad Sultan Theater has reached a milestone major part of its influence with an exceptional program focused on daring theatrical creations and original artistic experiments.
The stage of the Riad Sultan also vibrated, from May 11 to 31, 2024, to the rhythm of varied performances which won over a demanding audience in a warm and intimate atmosphere. At the same time, literary meetings, punctuated by signing sessions, have forged a special bond between authors and spectators, thus offering a unique space for dialogue and exchange.
This is how the Riad Sultan Theater has established itself as a sanctuary dedicated to the celebration of heritage and cultural diversity, reports the same source, affirming that since its inauguration in 2021, it has become an essential stage where arts intersect in a harmony of creativity and emotions.
Since its beginnings, this theater has gone through exceptional moments, enriched by dazzling successes and challenges met with panache. He had the honor of hosting an array of talented artists, inspiring speakers and cultural events from all four corners of the globe.
These contributions have breathed extraordinary vitality into its programming and amazed an ever-increasing audience, as evidenced by the quantified retrospective, the press release concluded.
