AHED ABABNEH'S VISION FOR OMANI THEATRE

For Italian director and playwright Ahed Ababneh, theatre is not merely a stage framed by lights and curtains. It is a deeply human space where reality is reshaped through silence, movement and imagination and where stories rise from heritage to speak a universal language.
Ababneh, who has worked extensively in the Sultanate of Oman for more than seven years, describes the local theatre scene as a 'creative renaissance' — a dynamic fusion of tradition and modern aspiration. From psychodrama workshops with the Amateur Stage Theatre Group to productions inspired by Omani folklore, he believes Oman offers an inexhaustible well of symbols, rituals and visual narratives for contemporary theatre-makers.

“My reading of Omani theatre is not simply an observation of reality”, he says, “but a vision of an aesthetic awakening. What makes this experience special is the harmony between authenticity and ambition. Omani culture is rich with stories, gestures and performative rituals that give the playwright endless creative possibilities”.
Ababneh notes that institutional support, combined with the passion of amateur and university theatre groups, has created a vibrant theatrical ecosystem. Today’s Omani audience, he says, is an “active recipient” — thoughtful, curious and emotionally engaged, seeking intellectual wonder rather than fleeting entertainment.

He believes Oman has all the elements needed to become a major theatrical hub in the Arab world and beyond. “Development does not mean importing ready-made models”, he explains. “It means adapting global approaches and integrating them into the Omani context, building a theatre that speaks locally and resonates globally”.
Central to this vision is what he calls 'laboratory theatre' — a space for rigorous artistic training, dramaturgical depth and experimentation, where young talents learn to craft performances that combine discipline with imagination.

For Ababneh, theatre is also an ethical space — one that embraces inclusion and breaks down barriers. His work with performers with disabilities, particularly in deaf theatre, has been among the most transformative experiences of his career.
“When we speak about theatre for people with disabilities, we are not talking about charity”, he says. “We are talking about a necessary creative act that redefines beauty and humanity. Difference becomes an added aesthetic value”.
As director of the Oman Deaf Theatre Company’s production The Conflict, Ababneh explored what he calls “the democracy of the body”, where silence becomes full of meaning and movement becomes poetry. “Here, the body is the text, the music and the rhythm. Every gesture is a visual word charged with emotion”, he reflects. Sensory scenography — light, shadow and colour — replaces sound, creating a deeply immersive theatrical language that transcends spoken words.
Ababneh sees theatre as the “aesthetic dissection table” of society — a space where pain, hope and contradiction are explored through symbolism rather than slogans. True theatre, he insists, does not preach or deliver political manifestos. Instead, it transforms social issues into powerful visual metaphors that invite reflection and interpretation.
“A successful performance is an open text”, he explains. “Each audience member discovers their own truth within it. Beauty is the vehicle of the message and methodology is what ensures that beauty carries meaning”.

For Ababneh, creativity must be guided by scientific methodology. In directing, acting and dramaturgy, structure and discipline turn raw talent into professional artistry. “Theatre is the architecture of the soul and the architecture of beauty”, he says. “Without methodology, we stumble in the dark”.
This philosophy draws heavily on his Italian theatrical roots, particularly the traditions of Commedia dell’arte, physical theatre and visual scenography. Italian theatre, he explains, taught him how the body can speak behind the mask, how light can shape meaning and how folklore can be transformed into universal art through rigorous craft.
Ababneh believes Arab theatre must engage with global experiences — not through imitation, but through creative assimilation. “Our distinctiveness lies in our spirit”, he says. “The approach is the body that carries this spirit”.

By localising global methodologies and grounding them in Arab stories, myths and social realities, he sees a future where Omani and Arab theatre speak confidently on the world stage, using the latest technologies while preserving a renewed cultural identity.
Children’s theatre, he argues, is one of the most urgent frontiers for development in the Arab world. Too often reduced to simplistic instruction, it should instead be a space of empowerment, imagination and artistic excellence.
“We are shaping the visual memory of an entire generation”, Ababneh says. “Children’s theatre should be the most dazzling, the most professional and the most imaginative — because it is an investment in the future of the Arab intellect”,
From heritage to innovation, silence to movement and local stories to global stages, Ahed Ababneh’s vision places Oman at the heart of a new theatrical journey — one where art becomes a bridge between cultures and a mirror of the human soul. — ONA