On the eve of his travels to participate in the Carthage Days, Mohamed Cherchell told Al-Shorouk:
Director Mohamed Cherchal is preparing to enter the competitions of the 22nd edition of the Carthage Theater Days, through his work “GPS”, which previously won the award for best show at the Arab Theater Festival in Jordan in 2019, to be the only theatrical work that will represent Algeria. “Al-Shorouk Al-Youmiya” met the director on the eve of her departure to Tunisia, and this dialogue was with him:
“GPS” has the right to represent Algeria, and the Ministry of Culture has no say in choosing the works
Why did the “GPS” play return to the stage, despite the expiration of the contract period of the work team?
In my view, the “GPS” play did not get its due right from the performances that were suspended due to the Corona pandemic, but the National Theater did not fail to pay the dues of the work team, despite the failure to meet the number of previously agreed shows and the expiration of the work contracts for the artists, so that the matter was remedied by the The theater management party, which renewed contracts to give a new breath to the work and allow it to be viewed by the largest possible number across the various states of the country, in addition to achieving the desired goals of the show, such as representing Algeria in national and international theatrical forums.
What will the new version of “GPS” carry to the public?
As a theater director, I focus on developing my work from one show to another, by taking notes and discussing them with my team such as dark angles, rhythm, sound, performance and scenes.. with the aim of improving the work that I consider an open workshop for me and my team in order to make the work successful, in which the recipient touches New things in every show he watches, and the evidence for that is the difference in the way we presented the work that destroyed the award for best show at the Arab Theater Festival in Jordan, from the way we presented it months later in the Arab Emirates, thanks to the modifications I made to the work in order to develop and improve it .
The work was known to bring in some actors and replace some of them, so is this considered a step to renew the team?
I never wanted to replace the actors who left the job, who are always proud of the experience that gave them the award for the best Arab show, to be added to their careers and CVs, but their association with other projects forced me to replace them with competent actors who fit the work requirements in order to continue GPS. Therefore, I brought actress Nawal Masoudi from Batna, and actor Jalal Darawi from Skikda theater, in addition to replacing the deceased Mahmoud Bouhamoum with actor Musharraf Mahfouz. Which, thank God, constituted a positive addition to the play. This in itself is considered a renewal in the show after only a month of training.
Can the success of the play “Ma Baqat Hadra” be considered an incentive to engage in the same theatrical genre through “GPS”?
My choice of this theatrical genre in my recent works came from my conviction that I seek to transcend all theatrical boundaries. Therefore, I dispensed with the spoken and written text and preferred the direction and focus on the theatrical action above the stage. The result was that I sacrificed the writer and the text for the sake of the aesthetic of the presentation and the search for fun. Another play breaks the language barriers for the audience of different nationalities, Arab, European, Indian, Russian, or others, and its fruits were embodied in the success of these two works and the audience’s demand for them. Therefore, my success in this challenge, which I will continue through a third work, will bring many surprises, which I will announce soon.
What is your comment on the controversy related to the nomination of “GPS” to participate in the Carthage Festival in Tunisia?
It is known that various festivals around the world open the doors for participation to all playwrights, whether they are professionals or amateurs, and publish their advertisements on various social networking sites. With regard to the nomination of the “GPS” play, this was done by the Algerian National Theater, which wrote to the Carthage Festival two years ago, so that the response was in the affirmative, but the conditions of the Corona pandemic prevented that, and therefore I would like to note that the Ministry of Culture – and not in defense of its frameworks – that it does not He got involved in choosing the participating performances abroad, but she only undertakes to accompany the works that were selected by the festival, which is subject to its own internal law, so I do not find an explanation for this controversy, especially since the “GPS” play is a successful international work, which has already proven its right to represent Algeria on many occasions.
Do your opinions and criticism of the officials of the cultural sector affect the curbing of your theatrical creativity?
I believe that my livelihood is in the hands of my Creator, and that is why I will not hesitate to express my opinions or criticisms in my field, regardless of the person or party concerned, especially since my freedom and opinions are a principle, and I will not and will not give up on them, and that my work is my passport, which opened doors for me at the level of all theaters Which I have the utmost respect.
What’s new Mohamed Cherchal in the world of writing?
Recently, I sacrificed the script in the world of theater to leave room for the aesthetics of directing and the fun of roaming. In return, I used my ideas and inspiration to write scenarios, the latest of which was the “La Casa Dial Kamal” series. As for the theater, I am preparing for a third work that will be in the same direction as the last two works. Hadra” and “GPS”, but with a directorial look that carries many surprises, which the audience will discover once they watch the show.
