Abdullah ALKAFRI
Chargé de Cours
Institute of Theater, Audiovisual and Cinematic Studies
+961 (1) 421 000 abdullah.alkafri1@usj.edu.lb
A playwright cultural activist, who works as a trainer in topics related to the field of culture
with many organizations. He has taken part in many projects focusing on writing, particularly
for theatre, organized by both Syrian international organizations, co-organized
“Miniatures: A Month for Syria”, in collaboration with Shams Association in April 2013,
“Agora: Platform for Theatre Labs”, in collaboration with Hananne Hajj Ali in January 2014, both
of which took place in Beirut.
A regular participant at conferences forums on culture art. He has also collaborated with art
organizations such as Lift- The UK, the Lark- USA and the Royal Court- The UK.
He has published and directed several plays, including Mrs Ghada’s Pain Threshold in Beirut,
and was a member of the selection committee for Arab Contemporary Dramaturgy
(organized by IEVP 2012) where he was entrusted with selecting nine Arabic texts to be
published in French. He was also part of the project An Enemy of the People and Pillars of
Society: the Tragedy of the Individual", produced by the Ibsen Conference in 2014 in Norway, in
collaboration with Zoukak Theatre Company.
Abdullah was awarded first place in the 19 th Mohammad Teymour Competition for Theatrical
Creativity for his text “Damascus - Aleppo”, which was also shortlisted as a finalist in the BBC
Competition for Best Translated Work in 2008. He is a founding member and Executive
Manager of Ettijahat- Independent Culture. Abdullah graduated in Theatrical Studies from the
High Institute of Dramatic Arts, Damascus, 2004 and completed his Master’s study and PhD at Saint Joseph University, Beirut.
Education
| Degree | University | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master recherche - Théâtre | 2016 |
Research themes
Theatre studies, dramaturgy playwrighting, sociology of cultural production in the Arab world, cultural policy, cultural rights, cultural production planning, culture public space.
Publications and communications
• Margin as an option, vulnerability against violence, No. 21 of Rerards – Institute for Theater, Audiovisual Cinematographic Studies, Department of HUMAN SOCIAL SCIENCES at St. Joseph University, November, Beirut, Lebanon 2019.
• On Acre Sea Beirut Sky…. Alaa Mohammed and Al-Rafah Hassan in the book “And After”, which highlights testimonies of independent cultural artists and actors, written by more than 80 Syrian and non-Syrian independent artists and actors. Mamdouh Adwan Publishing and Distribution House, United Arab Emirates. 2018.
• On the Margin’s Margin: Some Fragmented Thoughts on the Circumstances of Those who Make Art – in Perspectives Issue #15 – Unboxing the Game: The Obvious & the Obscure- The Heinrich Böll Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon 2018.
• Writing and on-stage exercises, in the book entitled We Are Doomed to Hope: Writing in Theatre, Edited by Iyad Hasami, Dar AL Adab, Beirut, Lebanon 2013.
• Homeland and art lost in migration highlighted in the book That’s what happened: Personal testimonies on the reality of the independent culture in the Arab region, Cairo, Egypt 2012.
French