The theatre of Algeria began to flourish in the early 20th century, As in the rest of the Arab world, Algeria has long had theatrical forms of expression such as the storytellers’ performances in the Khalqa shows,The Khalqa or Halqa is a circular public space where jugglers, storytellers, and musicians perform for donations from the audience. or those of the Meddahs.The Meddahs are storytellers who practice their art during pilgrimages to Mecca to finance their journey. Other forms include short sketches performed during pilgrimages or the traditional shadow theatre.
There has been debate among scholars as to whether these forms influenced the development of modern Algerian theatre – some viewing them as proto-theatrical expressions, while others rejected this idea as Western-centric or even ethnocentric.
Among the best-known playwrights, the first to use the Halqa structure as a scenographic element and to employ the Meddah style was Kadour Naimi. Later, Abdelkader Alloula and Kateb Yacine explicitly stated their intent to integrate the Halqa and Meddah traditions into their own works.
Early pioneers such as Allalou and Rachid Ksentini succeeded in popularizing the Western classical form in Algerian Arabic (Darja) after earlier failures of performances in Classical Arabic. They drew heavily from the traditional storyteller techniques.
Origins
It was originally itinerant poets and storytellers, known as Meddah or Guwâl, performing in public squares to raise funds for their pilgrimage to Mecca, who gave rise to the early profession of acting.
On the eve of the First World War, various characters appeared in short sketches and Garagouz puppet shows, gradually forming a repertoire performed during weddings, circumcisions, and religious pilgrimages at Zawiyyas, accompanied by music inaugurating these celebrations.
Religious brotherhoods also performed during such ceremonies, notably the Issawa brotherhood, which became known throughout the Maghreb for its spectacular ritual dances. Western-style theatre genres such as boulevard and vaudeville, introduced during the colonial period, influenced Algerian theatre pioneers like Rachid Ksentini (1887–1944), Mahieddine Bachtarzi (1897–1986), and Allalou (1902–1992), the latter originally a religious singer. Students from the madrasas also played a key role in this emergence.
The first play published in Arabic was written by Algerian author Abraham Daninos (1797–1872) in 1847 – an original creation rather than a European adaptation.
According to Mahboub Stambouli, the first performance took place in 1910. Early Algerian plays at that time had little influence, largely due to colonial censorship that feared subversive topics. Consequently, domestic and moral themes dominated, though they reflected little of the true socio-cultural realities of Algerians.
The language question In 1921, Lebanese–Egyptian actor Georges Abiad toured North Africa with two plays written and performed in Classical Arabic: Salaheddine El-Ayyubi (based on The Talisman by Walter Scott) and Th'ratu-l'Arab (based on The Last of the Abencerrages by François-René de Chateaubriand), both adapted by Najib El-Haddad.
While the tour had success in Tunisia and elsewhere, it failed in Algeria, where the majority of the Muslim population spoke only colloquial Arabic, not Classical Arabic.
Despite this, the period's intellectual activity fostered projects for theatre in Classical Arabic, such as Badî by Ali-Chérif Tahar, staged in 1924 in Algiers’ New Theatre. However, none achieved success with a general audience unfamiliar with both theatre and the classical language.
At the same time, in colonial Algeria, theatre began to emerge as a medium for political expression – for instance, the play Fi Sabil El-Watan (For the Homeland), produced independently in December 1922, was promptly banned by the authorities.
Early development In 1926, actors Allalou and Dahmoun made a decisive step in establishing a truly Algerian theatre language. Inspired by the popular folk character Djeha, they created a play in April 1926 using the Casbah dialect, addressing themes such as forced marriage and the influence of marabouts. The success of this performance helped spread theatre across the country, despite religious opposition – notably from the Association of Algerian Ulema.
Some critics, however, considered dialectal Arabic unsuitable for "noble" theatre. Despite this, its use continued to grow. In 1946, Mustapha Kateb (1920–1989) from Souk Ahras founded a municipal Arabic troupe at the Algiers Opera.
By the 1940s, major names emerged — Mahieddine Bachtarzi, Rachid Ksentini,See: Éléments d’histoire culturelle algérienne, Abdelkader Djeghloul, ENAL, 1984. Djelloul Bachdjerrah (1908–1971),https://maitron.fr/spip.php?article150227&id_mot=216 and Aïcha Adjouri (known as Keltoum) (1916–2010). These figures formed the first nucleus of Algerian dramatists who later supported the Algerian War of Independence, when theatrical troupes toured internationally to promote the Algerian struggle against colonial rule.
By 1930, female actors such as Marie Soussan and Keltoum were already performing on stage.
After independence After independence, Algerian theatre followed a path parallel to cinema but remained more openly critical of political, social, and cultural transformations. Plays by dramatists such as Kadour Naimi, Kateb Yacine, and others addressed the main concerns of postcolonial Algerian society.
A new generation of actors and playwrights appeared, including Abdelkader Alloula, Allel Mouhib, Hadj Smaine, Abderrahmane Kaki (1934–1995), Med Seghir, Azeddine Madjoubi, Benguettaf, and Slimane Benaïssa. Their productions were numerous and often of high artistic quality.
This new wave continued the legacy of Allalou, Bachtarzi, and Ksentini, forming numerous collectives aiming to promote an authentic Algerian theatrical culture despite colonial influence. Playwrights such as Abdelkader Alloula sought to create semi-professional, autonomous troupes.
Mohamed Boudia, under the Ministry of Education, founded the TNA (Théâtre National Algérien) and became its first director, nationalizing theatres with the goal of creating a universal Algerian theatre.
Algeria currently has a national theatre, seven regional theatres, and numerous amateur troupes.
Notable people 20th century
21st century
See also
Garagouz (puppet theatre) Algerianism Algerian literature African theatre
References
Further reading Jacques Berque, Les Arabes, chapters 9–10 "Toward a Contemporary Arab Culture", Sindbad, 1999 Arlette Roth, Le Théâtre algérien de langue dialectale (1926–1954), François Maspero, 1967 Boualem Ramdani, Le théâtre algérien entre le passé et le présent, ENAL, 1984 (Arabic) Roselyne Baffet, Tradition théâtrale et modernité en Algérie, Paris: L’Harmattan, 1987 En mémoire du futur, collective volume, Sindbad Bouziane Ben Achour, Le Théâtre en mouvement, octobre 88 à ce jour, Oran: Dar El Gharb, 2002 Anthologie du nouveau théâtre algérien, collective, Marsa, 2002 Ahmed Cheniki, Le théâtre algérien : histoire et enjeux, Edisud, 2002 Mohamed Kali, Théâtre algérien, la fin du malentendu, Alger, Ministry of Culture, 2005 Salah Lambarkia, Le théâtre en Algérie. Études analytiques et esthétiques, Ain Mlila, Dar el Houda, 2005 (Arabic) Hadj Dahmane, Le théâtre algérien, de l'engagement à la contestation, Orizons / L'Harmattan, 2011
External links Jolanda Guardi, Du théâtre algérien en langue arabe dialectale, 2008 Jawida Khadda, Le théâtre algérien : éléments de réflexion et d'histoire, 2002 Sarah Temmar, Shakespeare as a model of popular theatre in Algeria, PhD thesis, Montpellier Ahcène Hargas, Le théâtre berbère d'expression kabyle (de Mohia)..., PhD thesis, Strasbourg, 2017 Armand Gatti Theatre Library – Theatre publishing in Algeria Bibliography of Algerian theatre (1912–1992)
Hadj Miliani, Représentation de l’histoire et historicisation du théâtre en Algérie, L’Année du Maghreb, 2008, pp. 67–78 Rachid Bencheneb, Allalou et les origines du théâtre algérien, 1977 Definition of Halqa: "A circle formed by a crowd in a public square around a street performer or storyteller."