Program Summary

​Total Workshops: 15
​Total participants: 15 
Total Hours: 224
Total Venues: 6
Duration: ​5 Weeks 

About 

The “Beirut Summer School for Theater & Performance '' (BSSTP), founded in 2021, is a school that involves a series of theater and performance workshops conducted by renowned practitioners in Lebanon and the Arab world who share their experiences, working methods, and perspectives within their own practice. The school includes workshops in Acting, Directing, Dance, Improvisation, Light Design, Scenography, Costume Design, Documentation, and Writing about Theater among other subjects. This school was initiated and programmed by alaa minawi.
Team members
Founder & Program Director: alaa minawi 
Assistant Director & Production Manager: Georges Aboud 
Communication & Social media: Fatmeh Mroueh
Assistant production and Coordinator: Romario Akiki 

Who joined 

Theater and performance arts students in their last years of study, fresh graduates, and young professional practitioners are the main targeted group. Individuals who have been around the theater and performance arts field and would like to be exposed to different perspectives in the arts. The school opened its doors to any participants who have less prior experience in theater but quite interested in the subject matter. ​The school hosted emerging artists residing in Lebanon, Tunisia, and Jordan.

Emerging Artists from Tunisia and Jordan Joined

In partnership with Hamra Theater and ARAF in Tunisia and Studio 8 in Jordan, the Beirut Summer School for theater and performance was be able to host emerging artists from Tunisia and Jordan to join the school's program for summer 2023. The school selected one participant from Jordan and two from Tunisia. The school covered:
- Flight Ticket 
- Visa Cost
- Per diem 
- Accommodation 
- Transportation contribution 

The workshops
​(Workshops were conducted in Arabic)

Curated Lunches
Every Saturday, the school invited a prominent practitioner in the theater and performance arts field, ,sometimes form outside the field, to discuss their practice while cooking lunch for the workshop participants.
The names of the guests for the curated lunches:
Sahar Assaf
Farah Wardani
Lary BouSafi
​Alaa Minawi

Discussion Sessions 

with Anas Younes ​

Every Sunday during the summer school, Anas Younes moderated a discussion session around various topics related to theater. The topics were related to the workshops that the participants took throughout the week. It was a moment to look back and reflect on them. 
​
Anas Younes is a Theatre practitioner, cultural activist. Anas worked with several cultural organizations and entities on the level of cultural and artistic management. He has directed several applied performances in alternative cultural spaces. An academic researcher majored in the cultural production. Anas graduated from AUL University, majored in drama and literature, and MA in theatre studies at USJ.  

Sharing Practices 
A residency with Petra Serhal and GN | MC

Picture
Petra Serhal
Picture
Guy Nader | Maria Campos
With the support of the Spanish Embassy in Lebanon, the Beirut summer school is proud to announce the launching of a new residency program under the name "Sharing Practices", where an artist/collective from Lebanon undergoes a 10 days residency with an artist/collective from outside Lebanon. They meet and explore their practices, work methods, and views. It is a way to grow seeds that might lead to a collaboration. 
For Summer 2023, the Beirut Summer School is glad to invite the multidisciplinary artist Petra Serhal from Lebanon to meet the choreographer and dancers Guy Nader and Maria Campos who make the ensemble GN | MC form Spain and do a the residency together. 

The participants of the summer school will meet Petra, Guy, and Maria in three occasions; at the start of the residency, in the middle, and at the end of it. In these meetings, the artists will discuss what they aim to reach and how they developed their explorations. 

By the end of the residency, Petra and Gn|MC would do a presentation to the public.
The rehearsals and presentation would take place in Houna Center Beirut. 
​
​About Petra Serhal         ​About GN|MC

Participants for Summer 2023 

What was the Schedule 

The school starts on 6 June and ends on 10 July 2023.  

​Workshop Times in general are: 
Monday till Friday: 18:00 till 21:00 
Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 till 19:30   

Participants are expected to participate in all the workshops for all the five weeks period.

Where did the workshops happen

Workshops took place in the following venues:

Mansion - Beirut - Zoukak el Blat

Studio Laban - Beirut - Speers

Houna center - Beirut - Hamra 

Ettijahat Studio - Beirut - Mar Mkhayel

​Hammana Artist House - Hammana 

Béryte theater - Museum Street

What were the fees 

This school is free of charge. Participants are not asked to pay any fee. You are only asked to always come on time and not skip any workshop. The School would imburse the participants with transportation support.

Sponsors 

Partners 

Supporters 

Collaborators