This essay is part of SyriaUntold s series on Syrian theater. Read this piece in its original Arabic here.
Since the Syrian war erupted, official theatrical production has continued. The Directorate of Theaters and Music maintained its scheduled yearly plan, though the number of shows per season varied during the first years of security instability in Damascus amid the difficulty and risk of the commute for both theater workers and spectators.
With the new status quo, recognized theatrical traditions from before 2011 also changed. Shows were performed earlier in the day to account for checkpoints, transportation hurdles and lack of security. The almost constant power cuts and shortages of fuel oil used to operate generators forced theater workers to seek alternative plans, in case of a power cut during shows that relied on music and lighting.