The 24th edition of the Carthage Theatre Days will kick off on December 2nd and will run until December 10th, featuring around 60 performances from 28 countries. The artistic director of the Carthage Theatre Days, Moez Merabet, stated that this edition will be exceptional in terms of attendance and the programming announced during a press conference on Saturday at the City of Culture in Tunis.
The program includes 11 performances in the official competition, 24 shows in the parallel events section, 18 performances in the World Theatre section, and four shows in the Expressions of Theatre in the Diaspora section. This year's official opening ceremony will take place at the Municipal Theatre in the heart of the capital, after being held at the Opera Theatre in the City of Culture for the past four years. It will feature a performance from Spain entitled "Final" at the theatre facade.
On the opening day, the audience will watch a performance titled "The Jungle Book," directed by American Robert Wilson, at the Opera Theatre in the City of Culture. Merabet emphasized that the primary goal of this edition is to expand the audience base for the fourth art and to support its global presence.
In addition to theatrical performances, the program will include training workshops on acting, dance techniques, movement performance, and theatre criticism, along with an international symposium titled "Theatre and Its Audience" and a scientific seminar titled "The Universality of Anton Chekhov: Fields and Extensions."
The Carthage Theatre Days this year will honor a group of Tunisian, Arab, and African artists including the former Minister of Cultural Affairs Abd El Raouf El Bassiti, actress Najia El Warghi, Egyptian actress Sawsan Badr, the Lebanese duo Roger Assaf and Hanan Al-Haj, along with Malian puppeteer Ya Ya Koulibaly.
Said Eddin Farhishi, in charge of programming, indicated that this edition will embody the solidarity of the fourth art with humanitarian issues, most notably the Palestinian cause, which will be reflected in the black-themed poster and through the presence of Palestinian artists.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Carthage Theatre Days, the festival will launch this year the first edition of the International Market for Performing Arts, dedicated to the exchange and integration between art and the commercial business sector. A documentary exhibition titled "40 Years in the Spotlight" will also be held to highlight the major milestones that have marked this artistic event over four decades.
