Awni Karoumi
Awni Karoumi ( Arabic عوني كرومي, DMG ʿAunī Karūmī ; * July 22, 1945 in Mosul , Ninawa Province ; † May 27, 2006 in Berlin ) was an Iraqi director , theater scholar . Until 1990 he was assistant professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad, then full professor at Yarmuk University in Jordan.
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Karoumi studied acting and directing at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad between 1962 and 1965. He graduated with a degree in theater arts. In 1972 he received his diploma in theater studies, section Aesthetics and Art Studies from the Humboldt University in Berlin . In 1976 he received his doctorate as Dr. phil. in Theater Studies, Section Aesthetics and Art Studies at Humboldt University.
He then worked from 1977 to 1981 as theater studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad, where he was promoted to assistant professor for theater studies in 1981. He held this post until 1990 and then took over a professorship for theater studies at the Faculty of Education and Fine Arts of the Yarmuk University in Irbid (Jordan) from 1991 to 1995 . Since 1995 he has worked as a freelancer at various theaters and universities, including the Theater an der Ruhr .
At that time he and his family applied for asylum in Germany, after being targeted by Islamic fundamentalists first in Baghdad and later also in Jordan because of his productions.
His focus was on the teaching of acting, directing, theater studies, interpretation and analysis, theater criticism and theater history. He was also involved in the scientific supervision of the MA theses of several students.
Own productions
Karoumi staged mainly in Baghdad, later, from 1996 also in Germany, especially in Berlin. In addition, he also appeared in other countries, primarily in the Arab world. In particular, during his time at Yarmuk University in Irbid, he staged several plays.
city | year | plant | Ensemble / stage |
---|---|---|---|
Baghdad | 1964 | futûr as-sâ´a ath-thâmina (breakfast at eight) | Institute of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1966 | fî-mintaqa al-hattar (Dangerous Zone), by Eugene O'Neill | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1969 | Caligula, by Albert Camus | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1974 | ratâ ûr (Lament about Ur), own adaptation based on an ancient oriental dramatic text, author unknown | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1978 | Life of Galileo , by Bertolt Brecht | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1979 | Coriolanus by William Shakespeare | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1980 | The story of Simone Marchard, by Bertolt Brecht (together with Joachim Fiebach , Humboldt University Berlin) | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1981 | ma'âsat Tammûz (Tragedy of Tammouz), own adaptation based on an Old Sumerian text, author unknown | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1984/85 | The battle, by Heiner Müller | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1985 | tasawulât masrahîya (theater questions), own processing of various literary models | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1985 | The Yes Man and the No Man, by Bertolt Brecht | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1989 | tadahulât al-farah wa-l-huzn (merging of joy and sadness), from Fauziya ash-Shuwaish | Academy of Fine Arts |
Baghdad | 1974 | mubadarât (The wage pusher), by Heiner Müller | Baghdad, National Theater |
Baghdad | 1980 | fauqa rasif ar-radab (Above the line of rejection), by Hamda Hamis | Baghdad, National Theater |
Baghdad | 1981 | al-ghaib (The Absent One), by Farouq Muhammad | Baghdad, National Theater |
Baghdad | 1977 | hikâya li-atfâlina al-a´zîza (Stories for our dear children), by Ma`ât Yousif | Ensemble of the Volksbühne |
Baghdad | 1979 | Miss Julie , from August Strindberg | Ensemble of the Volksbühne |
Baghdad | 1979 | al-inschûda (My poor Marat or Leningrad Romance), by AN Arbusov | Ensemble of the Volksbühne |
Baghdad | 1980 | qasâ´id masrahîya (theater poems), by Rafael Alberti | Ensemble of the Volksbühne |
Baghdad | 1981 | kaschha wa-nafha (Elegant and a Hollow Nut), by Farouq Muhammad | Ensemble of the Volksbühne |
Baghdad | 1985 | The good person from Sezuan , from Bertolt Brecht | Ensemble of the Volksbühne |
Baghdad | 1986 | surah as-samt al-ahras (The cry of mute silence), by Muhi ad-Din Zengene | Ensemble of the Volksbühne |
Baghdad | 1987 | tarnimat al-kursî al-hazâz (melody of the rocking chair), by Faruq Mohammed | Ensemble of the Volksbühne |
Baghdad | 1988/89 | bîr wa-shanaschîl (fountain and lattice window), from Abbâs Harbi to Maxim Gorki's " night asylum " | Ensemble of the Volksbühne |
Baghdad | 1979 | lâ tanzûr min tuqb al-bâb (Do not look through the keyhole), by Firhan Bulbul | Ensemble of the workers' theater |
Baghdad | 1979 | al-mihafaza (The Bag), by Mu´tassar as-Soudani after a Bulgarian piece | Ensemble of the workers' theater |
Baghdad | 1970 | al-masîh yuslab min dschadîd (The Messiah is crucified again), based on a novel by Nikos Kazantzakis | Experimental institute |
Baghdad | 1978 | as-samt wa-d-diyâb (The Silence and the Wolves), adaptation after Tair Abd al-Wahhab | Ensemble of the youth theater |
Baghdad | 1979 | as-Sahira (The Sorceress), from Faiq al-Hakim | Al Hansa Ensemble |
Baghdad | 1966 | al-baht `an al-athâr (The Search for Antiquity), from Jafar al-Muzaffar | Ensemble of the medical faculty |
Baghdad | 1967 | rahlat al-muktaschif (The Explorer's Journey), from Jafar al-Muzaffar | Ensemble of the medical faculty |
Baghdad | 1965 | `inda as-salîb (On the Cross), author unknown | Al-Qadis Yousif Center |
Baghdad | 1966 | The father, from August Strindberg | Al-Qadis Yousif Center |
Baghdad | 1966 | wafaqa sannun tabaqa (one looks like the other), based on a play by Eugène Ionesco | Al-Qadis Yousif Center |
Baghdad | 1967 | sitra tau (an ordered jacket), from Jafar Ali | Al-Qadis Yousif Center |
Baghdad | 1967 | az-zulma (The Darkness), own adaptation | Al-Qadis Yousif Center |
Baghdad | 1967 | al-madîna al-mafquda (The Lost City), from Qasim Hawwal | Al-Qadis Yousif Center |
Baghdad | 1967 | al-mahraqa as-sa`îda (The happy pyre), adaptation after Martin Descalco | Al-Qadis Yousif Center |
Baghdad | 1968 | ayûha ar-radschûl - came anta jamîl (Oh man, how beautiful you are), adaptation of Jafar al-Muzaffar | Al-Qadis Yousif Center |
Baghdad | 1969 | The last volume, by Samuel Beckett | French cultural center |
Girardot | 1968 | hâdim al-muhâmî (The attorney's servant), from Jafar al-Muzaffar | unknown |
Doha | 1985 | abâ wa-abâ (sons and fathers), own adaptation based on a Cuban text | Ensemble of the Asch-Schadd wa-l-Adwa-Theater |
Doha | 1985 | ar-ridschâl wa-l-bahr (The Men and the Sea), own adaptation based on a Tunisian piece | Ensemble of the Asch-Schadd wa-l-Adwa-Theater |
Kuwait City | 1989 | Sara, own adaptation based on Bertolt Brecht's " The Caucasian Chalk Circle " | Arab theater |
Tunis | 1991 | al-masâ al-akhîr (The Last Night), own adaptation based on various literary texts | Ensemble of the Arab Theater Union |
Irbid | 1992 | The blue bird, by Maurice Maeterlinck | Yarmuk University Theater |
Irbid | 1992 | Miss Julie, from August Strindberg | Yarmuk University Theater |
Irbid | 1993 | Uncle Vanya , from Anton Chekhov | Yarmuk University Theater |
Irbid | 1994 | Antigone, by Jean Anouilh | Yarmuk University Theater |
Irbid | 1994 | Faces of the theater, own processing | Yarmuk University Theater |
Irbid | 1994/95 | The misunderstanding , by Albert Camus | Yarmuk University Theater |
Amman | 1992 | al-qîscha ("The Speck of Dust"), by Farouq Muhammad | Ministry of Culture |
Cairo | 1994 | The hour when we didn't know anything about each other by Peter Handke (together with Ios Chopol) | Al Hanagir Theater |
Cairo | 2001 | The arsonists (Mohammad El Saouf after Max Frisch ) | Al Hanagir Theater |
Berlin | 1996 | The Melody of the Rocking Chair, by Farouk Muhammad | House of World Cultures |
Berlin | 1996 | The Blind, by Maurice Maeterlinck | Schaubühne Berlin |
Berlin | 1999 | The Lord and the Servant, adapted from an Old Babylonian text | Schaubühne Berlin |
Berlin | 2000 | The lantern from Saleh Karama | Schaubühne Berlin |
Berlin | 2000 | Fatima, based on a novella by Khalil Abed Rabou | Schaubühne Berlin |
Berlin | 2001 and 2006 | The Night Traveler by Salah Abd Es Sabour | Schaubühne Berlin |
Berlin | 2002 | Miss Julie by August Strindberg | Schaubühne Berlin |
As an actor
As an actor, Karoumi mainly appeared in 1997. He played in the Theater an der Ruhr under the direction of Roberto Ciulli in the play "Schlangenhaut" and in Berlin in A Report for an Academy by Franz Kafka under the direction of Saleh Husseini. In the same year he played in Bahrain in the pieces "at-tawarbuk" ("The Floors") by Fauziya asch-Shuwaish, "al khiyûl" ("The Horses") by Ibrahim Abdallah Ghuloum and "dschuwîra" by Aqîl Suâr. In 2002 he appeared again in Bahrain in "The performance has not yet begun" by Ismael Fehat.
Scientific lectures
Karoumi also became known for his theater studies lectures held around the world, which took him throughout the Arab world, but also to Europe and even to Cuba.
year | place | theme |
---|---|---|
1974 | Berlin, International Theater Institute (ITI) | "On the problems of depicting social reality in the Iraqi theater" |
1976 | Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin | "The Iraqi Theater after the July 14th Revolution" |
1978 | Havana, Academy of Fine Arts | "Youth theater and the specifics of experimental theater in Iraq" |
1980 | Berlin, Brecht Center | "The reception of Brecht in Iraq" |
1988 | al-Kuwait, 1st Arab Theater Festival in the Gulf States | "Theater and Audience" |
1990 | Doha, 2nd Arab Theater Festival of the Gulf States | "About the technical side of the art of acting - the movement language of the theater" |
1991 | Amman, Royal Cultural Center, 1st Jordanian Theater Festival | "Arab theater or theater in the Arab world" |
1991 | Tunis, Carthage Festival | "About the manifestations of the old Iraqi theater" |
1992 | Amman, 2nd Al-Quds Festival | "Message from the theater" |
1993 | Cairo, 5th Cairo Festival of Experimental Theater | "On the crisis of the criticism methods against the experimental theater" |
1994 | Bahrain, Manamah, 4th Arab Theater Festival of the Gulf Countries | "About the scenography of the theater" |
1995 | Amman, 2nd theater festival | "Name of the play: Uncle Vanya" |
1996 | Rome, Dionysus Festival | "About the real space and its function in awakening and preserving the memory in theater scenography, presented on the basis of its own staging" |
1996 | Brussels, 1st Iraqi Theater Festival in Exile | "My experiences in the Iraqi theater" |
1997 | Sibiu (Romania), Sibiu Theater Festival | "My personal experiences with the author Bertolt Brecht in the Arab countries" |
List of publications in Arabic
Books
- 1979 turudsch tadrîs at-tamthîl (methodology of acting classes), Baghdad
- 1980 fann-al-tamthîl (The Art of Acting), Baghdad
- 1982 al-masrah al-madrasî (The School Theater), Baghdad
- 1993 muqadima fî-l-masrah (introduction to the theater), Irbid; hawl an-naqd al-masrahî (On theater criticism), Irbid
- 1998 Rûbîrtû Giûllî wa-masrah ar-rûr (Roberto Ciulli and the Theater an der Ruhr), Ministry of Culture Syria, Damascus
- 2001 Roberto Ciulli and twenty years at the Ruhr -Kairo Germany Contemporary theater- Qatar
- 2006 Theater Labor - United Emirates
- 2006 the School Theater - United Emirates
Typewritten titles (in Arabic)
- 1983 Acting, 3rd year, Baghdad
- 1984 Directing in the theater, Baghdad
- 1984 Draft for the methodology of work at the People's Theater, Baghdad
- 1989 Research program on experimental theater, Baghdad
- 1989 Acting - Language of Movement in Theater, Baghdad
items
- 1974 wazifat al-muhridsch fî-l-masrah (role of director in the theater), in: Madschalla al-Mataqqaf al-Arabî, No. 4;
- awrâq ghair mansûra ´an Taufîq al-Basrî (unpublished papers on Tafiq al-Basri), in: Madschalla as-Sînima wa-l-Masrah, No. 3;
al-film at-tasdschîlî (The Documentary), in: Madschalla as-Sînima wa-l-Masrah, No. 4
- 1978 al-masrah fî-riyâd al-atfââl (The theater in kindergarten), in: Madschalla al-Aqlâm, No. 2;
- Hypotheses in the ancient Iraqi theater, in: Madschalla al-Aqlâm, No. 3
- 1979 Krotowski and the poor theater, In: Madschalla al-Aqlâm, No. 2;
- Heiner Müller's theater, in: Madschalla al-Aqlâm, No. 2
- 1987 The Movement in the Theater, in: Madschalla Fadâ´at Masrahîya, No. 3
- 1991 About the 1st Jordanian Theater Festival, in: al- Fanûn, No. 10
- 1992 Questions of the Alienation of Arab Theater, in: Masrah al-Urdunî, No. 1 fann at-tamtil (The Art of Acting), in: al-Fanûn, No. 1
- 1994 asch-shaklaniyîn wa-tadschrîb fî-l-masrah (Problems of Formalists and the Situation of Experimental Theater), in: Dirasât Masrahîya, No. 3;
- al-haraqa-lughat al-masrah (The language of movement in theater), in: al-Hayat al-Masrahîya, Volume 47
List of publications in German and English
- 1974 Jawad Salim, a modern artist from Iraq, in: Bildende Kunst, issue 3;
- New plays in the Syrian theater, in: Theater of Time, No. 8;
- Story by Nureddin al-Sadiq, in: ibid.
- Brecht im Irak, in: Theater der Zeit, No. 9;
- The significance of the staging of Brecht's “Mr. Puntila and his servant Matti” in Baghdad, spring 1973, in: Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Ges. Sprachw. R. XXIII, 1974, 3/4
- 1977 On the problems of depicting social reality in the Iraqi theater, in: Theater and Social Reality, Berlin
- 1980 Brecht in Iraq, in: Brecht 80. Berlin
- 1982 Problems of the development and the current situation of the Arab-Iraqi theater, in: Material zum Theater, Nr. 165, series: * Internationales Theater, H. 12, Berlin
- 1998 The scandal in Damascus surrounding Brecht's petty bourgeois wedding, in: INAMO No. 14/15, summer / autumn 1998
- 2000 A director about Arab theater - theater of the time
Membership in organizations, functions
In Baghdad, Karoumi was a member of the University's Scientific Council and a member of the Theater Faculty Council for fourteen years from 1977. From 1975 he was also artistic director of the Volksbühne and from 1977 belonged to the Iraqi artists' union. In 1987 he also became a member of the Iraqi International Theater Institute (ITI) and in the following year a member of the High Committee of the Baghdad Theater Festival.
In 1989 in Kuwait he was a member of the Arab Theater ensemble.
During his time in Irbid he was a member of the Council of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Yarmuk University and from 1992 head of the Drama Department of Yarmuk University.
In 1998 in Berlin he was one of the founders of the “Masrah Theater Association”.
Awards and recognition
In 1978 Karoumi received a first prize for the production of "The Life of Galileo Galilei" at the Mosul University Festival and a recognition medal for "The Silence and the Wolves" in Havana . A year later he was honored with the 1st prize for “Don't look through the keyhole” at the Festival of the Workers' Theater in Baghdad. Also in Baghdad in 1980 he received the title of “Best Iraqi Director” for “Theatrical Poems” and “Above the Line of Rejection”.
In 1987 the Carthage Festival in Tunis honored Karoumi with the 1st prize for directing "Melody of the Rocking Chair" and he received the "Silver Medal for 25 Years of Theater Work in Iraq". In 1991 he received a gold medal for "recognition as an avant-garde theater maker" at the Carthage Festival in Tunis. This was followed in 1999 by a certificate of honor for directing the play “The Floors” by Fauziya asch-Shuwaisch at the “Festival of Poetry” in Bahrain.
Web links
- Obituary on the website of the DGB Berlin-Brandenburg
- Spiegel interview with Karoumi
- Publisher Theater der Zeit
- Sabine Kebir: What Awni Karoumi could give us. In: Ossietzky 13/2006
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Karoumi, Awni |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Iraqi director and theater scholar |
DATE OF BIRTH | July 22, 1945 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Mosul |
DATE OF DEATH | May 27, 2006 |
Place of death | Berlin |