Bringing theatre to unexpected places

"A travelling show between Rabat and Tangier, bringing together young and old, for a night." This is the challenge that was successfully completed by the Moroccan theater company "Spectacle Pour Tous" (“Show for all”) and its theatre truck on the night of April 30 to May 1, 2019.  

In 2010, Hamza Boulaiz, 28 years old and a graduate of the Institut Supérieur d'Art Dramatique et d'Animation Culturelle (ISADAC) in Rabat, founded the company "Spectacle Pour Tous" with his friends, based on the following premise: whether you are rich or poor, from the city or the countryside, everyone must have access to culture. According to him, culture is a powerful remedy against obscurantism. However, in some isolated areas of Morocco, cultural expression is often undervalued.

Three years ago, the company inaugurated its theatre truck: a real theatre, 60 seats mounted on 4 wheels, that goes across the kingdom and even beyond, to bring theatre to life in remote villages, reaching therefore a more diversified audience.

In 2019, the company wanted to go even further. It was decided to present the second version of its experimental show EXIT: a 12-hour joint adventure, starting in Rabat, ending in Tangier at the Aji Tfarej theatre, and taking place… on a bus!

The show was staged in the form of workshops launched last January with children with disabilities such as Down's syndrome, autism, or deafness. Based on a principle of exchange and artistic work, these apprentice actors of the Mouroui association, aged 7 to 19, worked on several scenes with the help of actors of the company "Spectacle Pour Tous". It was an itinerant writing since some scenes took place in a normal theatre in Rabat or Tangier, and the scene 6, from 1am to 5am, was performed in the bus. Places were also provided for the most tired, who wanted to rest between two scenes. And that night from April 30 to May 1, "the magic of embarking on a common adventure for 12 hours, from one city to another, took place," says one of the members of the audience.

“The young actors, filled with joy and self-confidence after their performances, will never forget this very special experience. This experience is based on a simple philosophical principle: in the theatre, everyone can find their place, because art does not know disability," reports the project's initiator, Hamza Boulaiz.

This initiative, led by young people who see art as a powerful mean to promote inclusion and peace, is supported by the joint UNESCO-UNOCT project Prevention of violent extremism through youth empowerment in Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.

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This show-experience was designed and produced with the support of the Moroccan Association for the Support and Assistance of People with Down Syndrome (AMSAT), the Majorelle Garden Foundation and the Drosos Foundation. It also benefited from partnerships with the Mourouj Association for the integration of people with special needs and the Hiba Foundation, the Anwal Ain Aouda School, the Moulay Slimane High School in Tangier, the Tangier Assilah Provincial Directorate, the Skhirat Témara Provincial Directorate and the Ministry of National Education.

More information:

Listen to the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmJmPHVgpLw 

Follow "Show For All": https://www.facebook.com/spectaclepourtous/