Amman, May 8 (Petra) - Minister of Culture, Mustafa Rawashdeh, and Secretary-General of the Arab Theater Authority (ATA), Ismail Abdullah, on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Royal Cultural Center to promote performing arts and amateur youth theater in Jordan.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Rawashdeh said theater is "deeply rooted" in Jordan, as visible in the various archeological monuments on its land, extending across the country in Jerash, Umm Qais, Amman, and Petra.

Rawashdeh stated the narrative of modern theater in Jordan, which began at the beginning of the 20th century with Ruks bin Zayed Al-Azizi, has continued since the early 1960s at University of Jordan to now.

Rawashdeh indicated that the memo aims to train and form a national core team of theater trainers to develop youth and amateur theater in Jordan, paving the way for building an "ideal model" that can be applied in other Arab countries.

The MoU, he noted, also seeks to organize training courses for talented and interested individuals, honing their talents, empowering them artistically and culturally, and developing their skills on sound scientific foundations to contribute to advancing artistic and theatrical awareness.

The minister added that the memo will activate the theater role in Jordan's various cultural directorates and serve cultural centers across the Kingdom.

Additionally, he lauded the "solid" Jordan-Emirati relations, stating the memo reflects the "vast" bilateral cooperation , particularly in the theater field.

Rawashdeh praised the initiatives and efforts of Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, in establishing the ATA.

The minister said this initiative expresses a "strategic" vision for culture and the arts and reflects the civilizational aspect of human societies.

At the signing ceremony, the minister noted the ATA represents an "important" Arab experience in developing Arab drama and theater, publishing theatrical books and research, and revitalizing the relevant activities across the Arab world.

Under this memo, he said Jordan is counting "heavily" on building a feasible experiment to develop its amateur theater sector and build a model for this purpose that reflects on future of Jordanian theater.
//Petra// AG

08/05/2025 17:08:55