A haunting exploration of desire and its consequences, the play “Adnas” has captivated Moroccan audiences and earned top honors at the National Theater festival in Tetouan earlier this year. The production, presented by the “Dhakirat Qidama’ Dhakirat madinat Kharibga” troupe, delves into themes of vulnerability, superstition, and the search for redemption through a strikingly surreal and symbolic lens. Director Amin Sahel’s innovative staging and the powerful performances – including a Best Actress win for Hind Belaoula – have established “Adnas” as a significant work in contemporary Moroccan theater.
A new play, “Adnas,” is captivating audiences with its raw exploration of human vulnerability and the complexities of life, delving into the dark practices people may resort to in pursuit of their deepest desires. The production fearlessly tackles universal themes of love, security, the longing for children, and the search for redemption, all while confronting difficult moral and psychological struggles.
Presented by the “Dhakirat Qidama’ Dhakirat Madinat Kharibga” theater troupe, the play recently took home the Grand Prize at the National Theater Festival in Tetouan, held between January 14 and 21. The production also earned several other accolades during the official competition, including a Best Actress award for Hind Belaoula and prizes for set design and costumes for designer Safaa Kreit.
Running for an hour and a half across three acts, “Adnas” distinguishes itself through the vision of young director Amin Sahel, who masterfully engages the audience with a surreal and innovative approach. The stage itself is utilized as an expansive space, drawing viewers into the performance and making them active participants. Characters navigate between domestic settings, classrooms, and shadowy areas, while visual and auditory symbols – from a large, drooping eye suspended above the stage to a human pelvis adorned with animal heads – embody the internal conflicts and repressed desires of each character.
A surreal style evokes symbols without referencing a specific culture
The play’s set design is central to its dramatic language. Lighting shifts between darkness and light to mirror psychological transformations, while costumes and colors distinguish between good and evil, purity and corruption, and those who suffer versus those who succumb to vice. Live music accompanies the events, amplifying the tension and emotion, and giving each scene a powerful ability to convey human feelings and the impact of superstition.
The acting is characterized by physical embodiment and nuanced emotion. Hind Belaoula delivers a compelling performance, portraying both the murdered father and Fatima, a student searching for emotional and spiritual fulfillment, with a blend of tension and authenticity. Amin Talidi skillfully embodies the roles of the sorcerer and the teacher, while Bouchra Charif portrays Aisha, a woman victimized by a practitioner of the occult, in a gradual psychological journey that reveals both internal struggles and external influences. Frida Bouazoui also shines as the villainous neighbor, clad in dark clothing adorned with locks, symbolizing evil and defilement – a direct reference to the play’s title, “Adnas.”
The ensemble cast further enriches the performance, having first presented the play earlier this year at the Mohammed V National Theater in Rabat, creating intricate interactions that align with the work’s structure and lend it emotional and intellectual credibility. The win at the Tetouan festival underscores Morocco’s vibrant theater scene and its growing international recognition.
Director Ahmed Amin Sahel builds his vision on a neutral foundation, avoiding specific cultural references to create a theatrical experience that transcends the local and resonates globally. He employs a contemporary surrealist style, evoking rituals and symbols without direct allusion to any particular culture.
“‘Adnas’ is an artistic adventure where I stepped outside my comfort zone to experiment with new approaches,” Sahel told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. “I delved deeply into the subject of sorcery through the story of a young woman from this society, presenting it in a different style than I have before, in a surreal manner that blends thought with art and places the human and their questions at the heart of the theatrical experience.”
From a technical standpoint, the production demonstrates a masterful balance between its elements: movement and rhythm, lighting and décor, sound and music, and acting performance, all within a directorial vision that makes the play a complete, richly symbolic, and meaningful experience, prompting reflection on the motivations behind magical practices and their impact on the self and others.
In “Adnas,” sorcery is presented as a phenomenon that embodies the deepest aspects of human weakness, ambition, and impulse, capable of destroying the self and harming those around it.
