The Ministry of Culture has published The Theatre That Dwelled Within Me... From Yemen to Qatar, a memoir by theatre artist and director Safwat al-Ghasham, tracing a career shaped by the stage across two countries.
Blending personal recollection with artistic history, the book follows al-Ghasham’s early experiences in Yemen, his move to Qatar and the productions, relationships and cultural settings that influenced his creative outlook.
Theatre emerges not simply as a profession, but as the space in which his memories and artistic identity were formed.
Al Jasra Cultural and Social Club’s cultural salon co-ordinator and writer Hanan Badie praised Qatar’s evolving artistic landscape in an interview with Gulf Times.
Speaking on local creative growth, she stated: “The Ministry of Culture plays a pivotal role in encouraging and promoting books in Qatar, and this latest publication by Safwat al-Ghasham is very important in its relation to
keeping pace with progress in the field of theatre and developing the capabilities of Qatari actors, and it deserves to have a lecture organised to discuss its dimensions and analyse it from the perspective of theatrical criticism.”
Al-Ghasham earned a bachelor’s degree in acting and directing from Kuwait’s Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in 1986.
He later worked as an actor and director at the National Theatre in Sana’a from 1996 to 2007, contributing to a generation that helped advance Yemen’s theatre movement.
His stage work included Yemeni Wisdom, Peace in Peace and The Last Supper, as well as the operetta The Dam of Wadi Saba and the cultural tableau presented at the opening of the 20th Gulf Cup in Yemen.
In 2013, he directed O Listeners of the Voice, a production engaging with national dialogue and social concerns.
Al-Ghasham also appeared in television drama, including the 1994 series The Story of Saadia.
His leadership roles included managing the Yemeni-Gulf Company for Cultural and Media Production and chairing the General Organisation for Theatre and Cinema in Yemen.
After joining Qatar’s theatre scene in 2008, al-Ghasham worked in local theatre until 2013 and was appointed cultural adviser at the Yemeni embassy in Doha in 2014.
He also led the Yemeni community theatre group and directed Al-Tahesh for the Doha Theatre Festival.
He currently supervises acting workshops at the Ministry of Culture’s Theatre Affairs Centre, including “The Art of Acting and its Techniques” and “The First Step to Acting”.
Drawing on the Stanislavski method, the sessions emphasise close reading of the script, an actor’s understanding of character, truthful performance, breathing and physical presence.
The play Layla was among the works to emerge from the programme.