The Saudi play Hekayet Bait was staged in Jeddah following its portrayal at the Janadriyyah festival where it ranked number one, according to the daily al Hayat.
The play was scripted and directed by Amir al Hasnawi and costarring Ahmed al Ansari, Hani Akil, Mohammed A’ed, Othman Falateh, Mabrouk al Silmi, Abdel Aziz al Nahari, Ghazi al Jabiri and Sultan al Gahmidi.
For over five minutes a viewer sees nothing except darkness and hears no voices except the audience murmurs while waiting to what will emerge out of the darkness. Amid this excitement the play begins with scattered silent scenes including killing and blood wiping scenes. The play begins with these scenes taking viewers back to the beginning of history and the human being’ first attempt to wipe the first blood spot.
The stage remains dark while the actors perform many silent roles led by music and light effects, which push the viewer to the maximum degrees of fantasy. But the program distributed among the audience puts their fantasy in the framework of Bait al Sharq (The Orient House) in Palestine only. The play focuses on the occupation of Palestine and the beginning for the Jews to penetrate in our world.
The screenwriter and director offered an innovative and advanced play script. Throughout the play the dialogue did not tackle the Palestinian issue directly as Hasnawi managed to distance the script from direct reporting and create a theatrical impressive atmosphere that push the audience towards the events which the Islamic nation witnessed according to the viewers’ culture and grasp.
There was no progressive drama in the play as the events were scattered like the papers of history -- Albawaba.com
