Zarqa: The Omani theatrical production "On the Edge of Forgetting," directed by Sami Al Busaidi, offered an artistic vision that conjures the questions of man, memory and forgetting, and the succession of generations. It was held as part of the 24th edition of the Zarqa Arab Theatre Summer Festival in Jordan.

According to Oman News Agency, the play explores the theatre's relationship with its successive generations through a heated conflict between an old generation and a new one, placing the spectator from the very first moments before a fundamental question concerning the continuity of the theatrical experience and how it is transmitted from one generation to another.

The performance, with Rawan Al Ghilani, Madim Al Gharbi and Khattab Al Shamakhi in the roles, also tackled the dramatic conflict between the characters, with a focus on the actor's performance and body language as two essential elements in constructing the dramatic event and embodying the work's central idea.

The director employed the theatrical space as an expressive element parallel to the text, as the stage was transformed into a space that evokes the workings of time and a memory threatened with erasure, while the movement of the actors and their swapping of positions and roles contributed to expressing the idea of replacement and the succession of generations.

The set was economical in its elements, leaving a wider space for the movement of the actors and the creation of meanings on the stage, while lighting played a prominent role in shaping the production's visual imagery through the contrast between light and darkness, reflecting the duality of presence and absence bound to the idea of forgetting.

Lighting was also used to isolate the characters and highlight the moments of confrontation between them, so that the areas of light and darkness became part of the dramatic and semantic structure of the work, integrating with the movement of the actors, the space and the set.

Six performances from six Arab countries are taking part in the current edition of the festival: "On the Edge of Forgetting" from the Sultanate of Oman, "Jaras" from Tunisia, "Children of the Earth" from Iraq, "Until Hope Departs" from Saudi Arabia, "Goods" from Palestine, and "Mirage" from Jordan.