jordan pulse -

— Minister of Culture Mustafa Al-Rawashdeh inaugurated on Sunday evening at the Royal Cultural Center the activities of the 4th Monodrama Theatre Festival, held as part of the 40th edition of the Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, with the participation of theatrical performances from Jordan and several sisterly Arab countries.
The opening ceremony, attended by the President of the Jordanian Artists Association, Dr. Hani Al-Jarrah, featured honors presented to the featured personality of the 4th edition, Jordanian actress Qamar Al-Safadi, alongside Lebanese actress Julia Kassar and Syrian actor Abdel Mon'im Amayri. Recognition was also extended to Dr. Mokhled Al-Zyoude from the viewing committee, as well as the judging panel comprising Abdel Karim Al-Jarrah from Jordan, Naif Al-Baqami from Saudi Arabia, and Akram Mustafa from Egypt.
Additionally, the Independence University Troupe for Arts from Palestine presented artistic performances set to the tunes of national Jordanian songs.
Minister of Culture
Welcoming the Arab guests and participants to this theatrical event—noted as one of only three such monodrama gatherings held across the Arab world—Minister of Culture Mustafa Al-Rawashdeh officially announced the launch of the festival's activities. He described monodrama as an art form distinguished by its aesthetics, depth, economy, flexibility, and its ability to probe the depths of the human psyche while tackling the issues of modern humanity.
He noted that the Jerash Festival is not confined solely to singing and music—despite the importance of music in spreading joy—but serves as a broad cultural space celebrating all forms of artistic creativity and beauty. He emphasized that the Jerash Festival has always represented an enlightening national, Arab, and global cultural project dedicated to defending identity and values through serious culture and refined art.
Al-Rawashdeh explained that integrating the Monodrama Festival into the activities of the Jerash Festival marks a significant step toward enriching the festival's artistic composition and diversifying its program across various creative fields, thereby reinforcing Jerash's position as an incubator for creativity and a lever for sustainable development.
Festival Director
For her part, Festival Director and actress Abeer Issa stated that this year's edition features theatrical performances from Jordan alongside nine Arab countries, a training workshop on integrating artificial intelligence into monodrama theatre led by Dr. Ahmed Al-Faleh, and a critical seminar titled "Monodrama and Its Challenges in Arab Theatre." The seminar features Dr. Youssef Al-Hamdan from Bahrain, Abdel Razzaq Al-Rubaie from the Sultanate of Oman, and director Zaid Mustafa from Jordan, moderated by media personality Rasmi Muhasneh.
She expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Culture, the Jerash Festival management, the Jordanian Artists Association, and the visiting Arab guests for their presence and engagement with the festival.
Festival Personality
Veteran actress Qamar Al-Safadi, honored as the featured personality of this year's Monodrama Festival, expressed her joy at the recognition, offering her thanks to the Ministry of Culture and the management of the Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts.
The opening day of the festival featured performances of the play "Hoor" from Jordan, directed by Nour Abu Samaqa, and the play "Qafas" (Cage) by Safouan Keshbati from Tunisia.
Participating productions at this year's Monodrama Festival are competing for several awards, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Scenography, Best Playwright/Script, Best Director, as well as the Special Jury Award.