By John Owoo
(In Tunis – Tunisia)
A rather familiar yet unfamiliar story was relayed on stage by Moroccan group Cie Corp Scène at Salle 4eme Art Centre as part of the ongoing Journées Théâtrales de Carthage Festival in the Tunisian capital Tunis.
Directed by Dr. Amin Boudrika – the plot, which is set in Northern Morocco – is a story of a young couple, whose relationship is under extreme pressure owing to emotional, psychological, family and societal conflicts.
Indeed, the woman is torn apart between the past and present as her frustrations of patriarchy and the illusions of a macho husband torment her as she fights off the notion of roles for wives and another for husbands insisting that both roles are equally important.
“The question that pops up is whether the existence of such a disparity in power within a relationship is a positive or negative phenomenon. Does it improve cohesion within the relationship and results in better cooperation”, asked François Tribot, a designer from France.
With scenography by Yassine Elhour and Boudrika that take on the shape of a wall, which created a cool blend of interior and exterior scenes on the set, the actors expressed bouts of depression and irritation as they yell at each other over roles and their importance.
Indeed, Cie Corp Scène, which comprised Hasna Tantaoui, Harjar Chargui, Ismail Alaoui and Zeinab Alj projected what appeared to be fiction – but it’s a sceneraio that cuts across diverse communities, tribes and ethnic groups – and the play will surely ignite discussions.
After graduating in stage design at the Institut Supérieur d’Art Dramatique et d’Animation Culturelle in Rabat (Morocco), Boudrika began a Master’s degree in stage design at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture in Nantes.
His desire to perfect his knowledge didn’t stop there and continued with PhD research into general and comparative literature, which he obtained from the University of Rouen (France) in 2018.
Alongside his academic career, he devotes himself to creativity, mainly as a stage director and set designer while leading and sometimes collaborating on national and international projects.
Pix – Courtesy of Journées Théâtrales de Carthage
