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The General Impression Of Theatre

Satisfactory Essays

In the United States, the general impression of theatre seems to be one of two portrayals. That of actors reciting Shakespearian lines, dressed in stuffy costumes, and that of the tremendous musical performances given on the stages of Broadway. Neither interpretation incorporates the nuances of theatre, or of the uses of the art. Theater is not only a form of popular entertainment, but a vehicle of social change, a demonstration of what a playwright or artist might take issue with in a society, or a method of bringing together a community.
One such work is Give Us Our Money Back, a play written by No’man Ashur, aimed at criticizing the state of the Egyptian cinema in the 1950s. No’Man Ashur, who was known for his leftist, communist sympathetic ideas, bemoaned the “mercantilistic and artistically debilitated condition of Egyptian cinema” (Lozy 8) and supported the idea of nationalization of the film industry as a means to combat this condition.
Ashur himself was an employee in the Ministry of Culture, and was in charge of cinema and theatre censorship. His experiences there led him to believe that the film industry was “the greatest danger to…cultural life” (Lozy 8). He reviled the ‘merchants of culture’ that capitalized off of the system, and catered to the public with commercial films that promoted neither artistry or specific themes.
The play itself contains several colorful characters, including a movie director who finds his artistic licenses halted by the state of the

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