Yusuf Al-Ani and the concept of Iraqi popular theatre

Abstract

Providing an exploration of Yusuf al-Ani through the placement of his creative efforts and the intellectual influences on his works within their contemporary context, both socio-political as well as the roles played by colleagues, this article examines how al-Ani provided a unique adaptation and popularization of the concepts of Bertolt Brecht within the Iraqi theatre community. It examines his al-Miftah (‘The key’), al-Kharaba (‘The ruin’) and al-Jouma (‘The spinning wheel’) for their themes and effective deployment of epic theatre, the routine development of an Iraqi popular charter, as well as his focus on presenting characters who evidenced the lived reality of Iraqis from across the social classes. Al-Ani’s ability to mobilize well-known folklore and classic tales, with which all Iraqis would be familiar, is examined for the effective manner in which he was then able to recast their characters and themes in a way that challenged conventional ideas and social mores.