Lebanese theater scene suffering due to economic crisis – ARAB TIMES – KUWAIT NEWS – Arab Times Kuwait English Daily

Lebanese theater scene suffering due to economic crisis – ARAB TIMES – KUWAIT NEWS – Arab Times Kuwait English Daily

BEIRUT, Feb 22, (Agencies): As the dire economic situation continues to drag on in Lebanon, the theater scene — as in the case of various other sectors — has been down on its luck with producers, actors, and staff suffering from lack of financing, earnings, as well as the everlooming threat of the coronavirus. “We continue to strive to provide the best theatrical, musical, and artistic performances despite the gloomy situation engulfing Lebanon,” founder and director of Al-Madina theater group and actress Nidal Al- Achkar told KUNA in an interview.

File Photo: Passersby walk by a woman (center) sitting on the ground with her daughter begging on Beirut’s commercial Hamra Street, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 16, 2021. (AP Photo)

Al-Achkar added that the theater group carried on with the help of friends in Lebanon and abroad who covered the expenses of production and paid for actors. Al-Madina Theather would continue to strive providing the best for those seeking entertainment, affirmed Al-Achkar who insisted that supporting artists was the best way to keep talent from migrating elsewhere. On his part, Georges Khabbaz — producer, writer, and actor — indicated that the fall of the Lebanese currency and the presence of COVID-19