2023-09-27 22:26:29
Syrian writer and director Lotus Masoud believes that the mission of art is to reflect situations regarding reality, not to reflect reality as it is, as it is “not a news bulletin.” She also believes that writing is not a profession, or a decision a person makes that he will become a writer.
Lotus Masoud confirms in her interview with Al Bayan that the UAE has today become a land of dreams for most Arabs, noting that it has been able to achieve that amazing balance between civilizational and technological progress, and promoting and supporting human creativity represented by the arts, most notably theatre.
*You studied law before moving on to study television journalism in Lebanon. Now you are a writer, playwright, and film director. What motives led you to this direction? Was your presence in an artistic family, your father, the great artist Ghassan Massoud, and your brother Sudair, one of these incentives?
I was definitely influenced by the atmosphere of the family to which I belong. I was influenced by the atmosphere of reading and culture at home. Being with my brother at the rehearsals of my father’s plays since my childhood made me fall in love with this place and feel a sense of belonging to it. At an early age, I began writing what might be considered attempts resembling theater, and these “childish” attempts turned into “adolescent” attempts, leading to mature attempts that made me present “as if theatre” and “a Western passion,” and finally “in another novel,” in addition to… The short films you presented. But I consider my greatest achievement to be what I presented in theatre.
incentivize
*What did you try to present in your plays: “As if they were theatre,” “A Western Passion,” and “In Another Novel”?
I see that art can reflect situations in reality, not as it is, because it is not a news bulletin. I tried in my texts as much as possible to express what we went through. In “As if Theater” I talked regarding the war and other things, and in “Western Passion” I talked regarding other consequences of the war. Away from the security events, while “In Another Novel” tells regarding the Syrian person who lives in loss, as a result of what he went through, and where he is today, questions that were raised without answer, because the task of art is to stimulate the viewer’s mind.
Partnership with parent
*The artist Ghassan Massoud co-directed with you in “As if Theater” and “A Western Hawa.” How was the interaction between the writer and director in the two works?
It was very professional, full of discussions, far from emotions, without compliments, dedicated to serving both clients. Many people think that, as my father, he would be flexible and lenient with me. Quite the opposite. He was careful that nothing would happen without proper preparation.
*How do you view your cinematic experience, the most recent of which was “Going In”?
Through my cinematic experience, I try to translate my ideas into an image, and see if I am able to use the director’s tools instead of the writer’s tools to convey a specific idea, whether in the short film “The First Day,” or in the film “Exiting Inside” later.
Writing is not a profession
*You say that writing is not a profession. How do you explain that?
I do not see writing as a profession, because a person does not decide from a young age that he will become a writer, such as saying I will be a doctor or an engineer. Writing is not a decision that I wake up in the morning and make. If I do not have the sense of anticipating the details around me in a different way and using them, it is difficult to be a writer.
*How do you evaluate the current reality of theater in Syria?
The reality of theater in Syria is not healthy, like any other field, as long as the country is in an unhealthy situation, and this affects and is reflected in all fields, not just theatre, but what is important is that there are always attempts to preserve and protect theatre, which are few but effective.
Dream land
*How do you view the reality of Arab theater currently? What do you think of what the UAE is offering to advance this reality?
I respect the cases in the Arab arena, because day following day we are drowning in technology and artificial intelligence, so it is important that we return to our humanity through theatre. In this context, the UAE opens up very important horizons for all those working in all fields, let alone theater. Today, the Emirates has become a land of dreams for most Arabs, who find in it the scope and horizon to achieve their aspirations. The UAE has been able to achieve this amazing balance between its cultural and technological progress, and the arts in their various forms, most notably theater.
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