The Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts ( ar, الْمَعْهَدُ الْعَالِي لِلْفُنُونِ الْمَسْرَحِيَّةِ, al-Maʿhad al-ʿĀlī li l-Funūn al-Masraḥīyah) (HIDA), was founded in Damascus, Syria, in 1977 by academics such as the playwright

Saadallah Wannous Saadallah Wannous ( ar, سعد الله ونوس) (1941 – 15 May 1997) was a Syrian playwright, writer and editor on Arabic theater. He was born in the village of Hussein al-Bahr, near Tartous, where he received his early education. He studied ...

, theatre critic Ghassan al-Maleh and professor of

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

Damascus University The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...

, Hannan Kassab Hassan. The institute initiated a new phase in the development of theatre in Syria through the preparation of a new generation of

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

s in aspects of modern dramatic arts on an academic basis, among them actor Fares Al-Helou and playwright Liwaa Yazji. The institute initially included five departments: Acting, Literary Criticism, Dramatic Arts,

Scenography Scenography (inclusive of scenic design, lighting design, sound design, costume design) is a practice of crafting stage environments or atmospheres. In the contemporary English usage, scenography is the combination of technological and material ...

, and Theatre Techniques, with a department for Dance added later. Another notable artists of the younger generation is Noura Mourad, an expert in dance and movement in theatre, who became a teacher at the institute for modern dance and performance. Mourad is also director of ''Leish Troupe,'' an ensemble for movement theatre that won the prize for best scenography in the ''Cairo International Festival of Experimental Theater'' in 2000. In her study titled Syrian Radical Dabka, ethnomusicologist Shayna Silverstein described the changes in social interpretations and performances of the Middle-Eastern ''dabke'' folk dance as performed in Syria. Further, Silverstein reported about a contemporary dance show in 2009 by Mourad and her troupe, titled “Congratulations!”. Focusing on the performance of dance in Syrian weddings, this choreography included issues of gender and power in the institution of marriage and the general doublestandards facing women in Syrian society. The institute has succeeded in rapidly making its mark on the theatre and dramatic arts scene of the Middle East, with performances in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and other countries. In his academic study on the social position of

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

s and

market forces In economics, a market is a composition of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations or infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering ...

, exemplified by commercial TV in Syria, Adwan Ziad, a former professor at the institute, "explores how the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus achieved an exceptional degree of prestige in Syrian cultural life. Although operating under a dictatorship in a conservative country, HIDA still enjoyed unusual margins of curricula autonomy and free expression in a country that repressed other cultural and educational sectors."

Location

The Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts is situated near

Umayyad Square Umayyad Square ( ar, ساحة الأمويين / ALA-LC: ''sāḥat al-Umawiyīn'') is a large and important square in Damascus, Syria. It connects the city center with several important highways and areas and contains various important buildings ...

next to the Higher Institute of Music and the Damascus Opera House.

References

{{Authority control Universities in Syria Education in Damascus Buildings and structures in Damascus Educational institutions established in 1977 1977 establishments in Syria Art schools in Syria