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Drama and Theatre Committee

September 19th, 2008 | Posted in Uncategorized

Times of Oman and Shabiba are running a press release about the Sultan ordering the establishment of a Drama and Theatre Committee to set a plan for the development of this sector in Oman. Read the press release here.

I am sure that there are loads of guys on the road who are thinking that Omani people are not having food to eat and the Sultan goes out and says we need more theatre, this reminds of the debate about why go explore outer space when people in Africa are dying of hunger. If we wait for all our problems to be solved before we look into culture and arts, we will never ever get to do it. Problems never finish and there will always be people in need and people complaining. 
Omani people generally do not appreciate art, it is almost scandalous for a woman to go on TV, I think that society allows an interview on a local show about education or health, but that’s about it, Omani people make no distinction between a prostitute and an actress, LET ALONE A SINGER – which is probably worse than a prostitute to some (Because a prostitute does not publicise her wrongdoing while a singer does?)
Anyway, the Sultan has always been appreciative of art – especially classical music, but his passion for it has never transcended to the majority of the nation. (When was the last time you heard someone Omani say they like classical music or have plans of attending the orchestra’s concert?). I hope that this acknowledgement of drama and theatre helps improve the image of drama, theatre, and art in general in Oman.
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  • Lost-in-thought
    @meteor
    If you are talking about that kind of media, I think the best way now is the small screen television shows. You must have heard about the arabic show "Noor" and how it became the most popular ?



    But yeah, the best talent management and development is achieved from theaters. So we are in the right direction.
  • Meteor
    i think the first obstruction against art in oman is the society itself. when i was searching for the career i want, i was thinking of cinema to be my field and i made my vision of cinema in Oman. how to establish, develop it. then i changed my mind completely about the cinema thing as i found that there's no future at least in my time, but i'll help to provide the environment for the next generation.
    i just hope that this'll help to develop drama and theatre here in Oman. but we must take in mind this step shouldn't be taken only by government but the public as well. cos such movements should by the nation and they should believe in it deep inside. i think education should take its role.

    but what can we say if " i remember at school when the teacher said that going to the cinema is HARAM !!!

    for me i remember at school when we were taught that if u'd like to be a commited muslim u shouldn't watch movies, plays.... etc

    this is about watching them what about paticipating in it ???!!! :)
  • Lost-in-thought
    There is definitely a place for arts and culture in Oman. And with the new construction happening, I guess it about time. It takes time for a mind set or stereotype to change. I hope, there isn't like only a Royal group, (like the Royal Orchestra) but more. The best places to start are the universities.
  • Amber
    Blue Chi - I sure hope that this helps things out here. For a society that wants to be more progressive and cultured I was extremely surprised by the lack of fine arts knowledge. I visited a museum and saw some interesting dances being done by fishermen...that is about as much as I have found so far...and it was ALL men in every dance clip.


    Oman isn't the only society that looks upon actresses with the same eye as a prostitute. England used to not allow any actors/actresses to even be buried in a proper cemetary. But, that was a long long time ago.



    I really appreciate your thoughts on this topic. Thanks for keeping us up to date. I have a master's in theatre and was hoping to do some research into Omani theatre...but once I got here I found there wasn't much.
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