The Algerian Theatre Between Indigenous and Foreign Influences

Abstract

Since its earliest manifestations, Algerian theatrical experimentation has aimed to establish a form of celebratory realism that resonates with the spirit, awareness, and culture of its audience, a spirit and culture rooted in the social margins. This orientation is evident in the work of many theatre practitioners such as Allalou, Bachtarzi, Abdelrahman Kaki, Kateb Yacine, among others, who variously mobilized the margin and its texts through diverse techniques. Despite differing approaches, these experiences converge on a shared trajectory: reconfiguring popular consciousness through its own distinct cultural expressions. Such a practice opens broad horizons for ongoing experimentation within one of the most historically entrenched literary genres and fuels the quest for a uniquely Algerian theatrical model, one that grapples with the challenge of anchoring (taʾṣīl) the genre while examining what makes Algerian theatre distinct.