From the supervision of a workshop around the construction of the theatrical personality, Hasna Tamtaoui shares with us her thoughts on dramatic art, the construction of the theatrical personality and Moroccan theater.
ALM: You supervised a workshop, from November 22 to 24, 2024, at the Beni Mellal cultural center on theatrical personality. Could you tell us about it?
Hasna Tamtaoui: First of all, a play is someone. It is a voice that speaks, it is a spirit that enlightens and it is a conscience that warns, to use Victor Hugo’s quote. Indeed, I supervised a workshop on the training of the theatrical personality for three days at the cultural center of Beni Mellal and the chosen theme was that of migration. Thus, our objective is to focus on theater scenes related to migration. Moreover, I do not like to impose my own ideas on the participants in this workshop to the extent that they know their experiences and how they live in their society better than me. In addition, each participant has their own personality. The first day was devoted to discussion and the second day focused on working on theater stages. Theater has long been an important part of society, providing a means of artistic expression, communication and entertainment. For centuries, it has been used to tell stories, convey messages and bring people together.
What are the objectives of supervising this workshop?
Instead of printing ideas on a paper, the participant of this workshop is required to engrave them in his memory and imagination, to talk about them and to personify them on the theater stage. Thus, the objective being to imagine stories based on a theme that is related to the theme of education, the environment… especially when it comes to young people aged between 18 and 20 years old. We are required to choose themes that respect our cultural identity and traditions. This year the chosen theme is that of migration. The attitude of an author, says Charlie Chaplin, when he writes for the theater, must be emotional before being intellectual because all theater is aimed at emotion above all.
How can we go about creating the theatrical personality?
First, you have to be aware of this personality and know it well, know its past, its history, its relationship with people, its age, its psychological problems… It’s like modeling clay that you have to shape. It’s a set of ideas that come from our experiences since our birth… Throughout our experiences, we hide a lot of things that we will need one day on the theater stage. But for you to successfully complete the training of the theatrical personality, you need orientation, supervision and monitoring. “A fervent love of the theater is not enough for an actor: there must be added a fervent love of oneself and self-confidence,” said Charlie Chaplin.
Is theater innate or acquired?
Innate passion for theater must represent at least 25%. But to sharpen it, you have to learn and take advantage of training, theater workshops, and the experiences of actors in general in order to acquire a lot of knowledge in the field of dramatic art. And it’s the stage experience that guides you. Personally, I have been an actress for 28 years. And when I supervise young people during a theater workshop, I easily get to know those who are made for theater and those who are not.
How is Moroccan theater doing?
Theater in Morocco is doing very well. The only constraint that exists is that of marketing. When you love theater, you have to seek it out and learn from it. Don’t wait for drama to come and get you. You can take a look at the programs of the Mohammed V theater which are numerous and very rich. At the Beni Mellal cultural center, for example, its director told me that the exhibition hall is occupied until December 2024. In addition, all Moroccan theater troupes that participate in foreign festivals always receive awards because we are open to the European theater. Personally, we won an award last year at the Carthage festival. Note that in Morocco, theater is the most developed field from a creative point of view compared to television and cinema.
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