Theater Director: Theater is mirror of society, tool for cultural change

Theater is considered one of the most prominent arts capable of reflecting the reality of societies and discussing their issues through diverse and creative methods. Its role is not limited to entertainment alone; rather, it constitutes a cultural platform that contributes to spreading awareness and presenting social and human problems to the public.

In this context, theater director Alan Becks spoke about the role of theater in society, emphasizing that it is a mirror of society and the most truthful platform for expressing human issues and discussing social problems, in addition to being a space for entertainment and catharsis for the public.

Becks stated that theater carries a message that artists strive to convey to various segments of society by addressing multiple issues through diverse artistic methods. Among these are topics that present sensitive social issues on its stage, such as child marriage and other phenomena that require discussion and resolution. He added that theater is one of the effective cultural means of addressing societal problems, as it allows for the presentation of issues and the indirect confrontation of individuals with their mistakes, which contributes to conveying the message and raising public awareness without provoking negative or direct reactions.

However, Becks observed that initially in North and East areas of Syria, there was not such a tight bond between the community and the theater; this is because in the initial stages of the revolution, participation in theater plays by people was limited when compared to now.

He further said that the interior regions of Syria showed more attention towards theater and other forms of cultural practices. It is worth mentioning that the Kurdish communities have undergone cultural and artistic limitations before, and hence, this had an impact on the growth of theater in Syria.

According to Alan Becks, "those people who engaged in the theater field faced various difficulties, especially in the early phases of the revolution; the most significant one was the weak acceptance of the idea of theater and acting among the public, despite some locals having been part of theatrical shows during Newroz festivals."

Furthermore, he pointed out, "it took about two years after the revolution until cultural organizations started to hold specific training classes for those wishing to learn acting skills and participate in theater."

According to Becks, the staging of comic shows was important for enhancing the connection between the community and the theater. Such shows helped attract audience and parents to theaters where parents would eventually agree to let their children join theatrical events and take training classes.

According to Becks, the theater movement has been experiencing remarkable growth in terms of the establishment of classes intended for different age groups. This process has been contributing significantly to the integration of the theater into the community.

It was stressed by Becks that the direct addressing of social problems could often lead to negative responses, whereas the theater provides an opportunity to deal with social issues in a comic way that is acceptable to the general public. Becks also noted that the theater is able to deliver social criticism in an indirect manner, thus making it possible to talk about societal problems without any confrontation or rejection. It should be also added that the effectiveness of theater in doing this depends on the ability of directors, writers and artists to bring critical and cultural messages in an appropriate way.

Becks stated that there are many social problems and issues which can be solved via theater since it is a cultural form of art which helps to promote dialogue and bring positive changes into society.

Alan Becks defined theater as a huge science and an area of great knowledge which demands thorough study and experience. He stated that people might think that the creation of theatrical performances is an easy process; however, once having started working in this field, they realize the amount of responsibility and difficulties involved.

He stressed that any cultural work is not easy but theater is exceptional since it is closely related to society and its problems. It is called a "mirror of society" as it reflects the realities of people and talks about problems and issues they face.

Becks stressed that both art and theater help to build up societies and develop their cultural consciousness and that the creation of a unified society starts from the focus on arts and culture because of their function to shape thoughts and promote dialogue among people.

He further explained that theater plays have played a role in bringing many social problems to light, which helped in solving the problem or discussing the issues. He perceived theater to be a message sent to different groups in society, regardless of their background, education, and profession.

He elaborated on the fact that each audience member perceives the message conveyed by the theater play differently according to his or her experience and perception, but the common factor is the transmission of an idea or issue worth discussion in society.

Becks said that in most cases, the social problem-oriented theatrical performances use humor as a way of sending the message across and getting a good interaction from the audience; otherwise, using tragedy will result in stronger emotions from the audience.

Finally, he mentioned that artists through theaters try to send awareness messages and solve societal problems in an artistic way. He added that while theater presents the problem and the door to discussion, tackling the problem and proposing solutions fall on society’s shoulder.

ANHA