AS part of the seventh Creative Forum for Independent Theatre, which wrapped up in the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria on Wednesday, a lecture entitled: "Theatrical Writing Today in Switzerland" The Children and Grandchildren of Friedrich Durrenmatt," was delivered by Swiss expert Erik Altorfer. Altorfer, who is a theatre director at the Stadttheater in Berne, believes that the text is the major part of the theatrical performance, as it is the part by which the artist begins his work. "Theatrical writing is vital for the theatrical performance. The playwright is the founding creator of this experience. First, he or she outlines the expected course in terms of the conflict, the events and the characters, with all the wills colliding and human dreams intersecting," Altorfer said. For him, every theatrical writing experience is distinguished by certain specificity at the personal and social levels in terms of all political and intellectual determinants. That's why he looked keen on getting copies of the plays, published and translated to English by the forum, in order to know more about Arabic plays. "I'm very glad to deliver this lecture to this audience from a variety of different nationalities," he said with a broad smile. The lecture, which was apparently useful for young playwrights and theatrical artists, introduced them to information about famous Swiss writers such as Friedrich Durrenmatt (1921-1990) and Max Fresh (1911-1921) with the lecturer explaining their techniques and writing styles. "This seminar focuses on one such specificity. It aims at identifying the writing trends and styles of the Swiss theatre, through the introduction of Swiss playwrights of the new generation as well as exploring and analysing their topics," he mentioned. "The seminar also aims at promoting knowledge resources for theatre artists in Egypt and the Arab world."
