Pantomime Theater to perform in Egypt

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan will perform at the 27th Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theater. 

The State Pantomime Theater will stage the play "Mask" on September 10, Trend Life reported.

The festival will be held virtually for the first time with the participation of theater groups and cultural representatives from more than forty countries amid coronavirus pandemic.

The play is based on Zaur Zeynalov's work of the same name. It tells about the relationship between three friends and a girl. Moreover, the heroes are replaced by geometric shapes - Triangle, Square and Circle. Figures are symbolized types of characters-egoist, maximalist and romanticist.

"The play "The Mask", staged by our theater at the request of the International Committee of the Red Cross, was presented at the Cairo Festival in 2008. The organizers asked us to show this play again, which we will present in a new production. Through pantomime, the actors are going to express the deep meaning of the work," said Elman Rafiyev.

The play will bring together talented artists Nargila Garibova and Bahruz Akhmadli, Elnur Ismayilov and Jeyhun Dadashov.

The author of the idea is Zaur Zeynalov, director - People's Artist Bakhtiyar Khanyzade, music designer - Honored Artist Elman Rafiyev, artist - Honored Artist Gurban Massimov.

Pantomime, the art of acting without words, is one of the oldest forms of entertainment in human history. This art form began as a type of the traveling Italian street theater known as Commedia dell'arte.

The State Pantomime Theater is now spreading this ancient art form around the world.

The theater was founded in 1994 by Bakhtiyar Khanizade, actor of the Azerbaijan State Theater of Young Spectators.

The State Pantomime Theater has toured a number of countries performing multiple plays by both local and foreign playwrights. The theater has twice hosted the Himjim International Pantomime Festival.