His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah, and Supreme President of the Arab Theatre Institute, chaired the meeting of the Institute’s Board of Trustees at its headquarters in Sharjah, where he directed the launch of the “Sultan Al Qasimi Award for Youth Theatre Excellence,” in addition to strengthening the role of school theatre by organising national and Arab festivals that contribute to raising generations’ awareness of the educational and cultural role of theatre.

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad  Qasimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah, and Supreme President of the Arab Theatre Institute, on Tuesday morning, chaired the meeting of the Institute’s Board of Trustees at the Institute’s headquarters in the Al Hira area of Sharjah.

At the start of the meeting, His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah welcomed the attendees from the Council’s members representing various Arab countries, praising their efforts in developing everything that contributes to advancing and elevating the artistic movement, and in activating the message of theatre and its leading roles in the progress and awareness of society.

His Highness, the Supreme President of the Arab Theatre Authority, launched the “Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Award for Youth Theatre Excellence”, an Arab prize dedicated to recognising the creativity of young people and their efforts in developing Arab theatre.

His Highness also instructed the Arab Theatre Authority to prioritise school theatre in Arab countries by launching national school theatre festivals and organising the Arab School Theatre Festival, ensuring broad Arab engagement with the educational and cultural movement of school theatre, which is heavily relied upon to nurture an audience aware of theatre’s academic and social role.

His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, also paid special attention to documenting Arab theatrical memory and supporting researchers across various theatre fields. To achieve this, His Highness ordered the creation of the Arab Centre for Documentation, Studies, and Research, focused on organising and diversifying studies and research in Arab theatre, documenting the historical development of theatres throughout Arab countries, and expanding comparative studies of the Arab theatrical experience within its broader human context.

His Highness emphasised the significance of advancing the theatre movement throughout the Arab world, reaffirming his ongoing support in various sectors. This includes the academic training of new and young generations in all artistic and technical disciplines, where the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy offers specialised undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. His Highness noted that this enhances the comprehensive strategy for nurturing and developing artists' talents, which is vital for theatre and its practitioners.

His Highness added that Sharjah continues to foster the theatre scene through its diverse theatre festivals and the distinguished performances of the Sharjah Theatre Days. He noted that an additional permanent budget has been allocated to present the Theatre Days’ plays throughout the year across all Emirates, aiming to reach audiences everywhere.

His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah also discussed with theatre professionals about the state of Arab theatre and its practitioners in general. During the discussion, His Highness emphasised the importance of benefiting from shared Arab expertise, providing the best possible support, and offering theatrical performances that enhance the audience’s artistic taste.