By Ruba Hattar
El Makina is the creation of Majestic Northern Cultural Center of the Governorate of Bizerte, in northern Tunisia. A city rich in music, arts and literature. The idea is to provide an independent theater experience to help keep the city's talented youth from leaving it and going to the capital to receive training.
With the aim of beating the centralization of theater art in the capital, this comprehensive incubator takes in talented and excited youth and trains them to become more developed actors, directors, producers, videographers and screen writers.
El Makina incubation program provides support for youth theater projects via training camps in various specializations in the theatrical field, in addition to enabling them to have training rooms in which the necessary technical equipment is available, under the supervision of two supervisors accompanying the entire production path.
The program also helps these young people to save the expenses of decoration, clothes and accessories. After the completion of the work, it ensures that a set of offers will be programmed for them. It also helps them distribute their work on a national level by taking care of transportation and accommodation expenses.
El Makina program seeks to attract between 60 to 80 young men and women to train and guide in various theater work techniques, including acting styles, playwriting, theatrical dance, recitation, directing, scenography, lighting and sound, and others.
In a time of continuous aspiration towards having more freedom of expression in Tunisia marking 10 years after the Arab Spring, such programmes give youth a much needed voice and means to channel it constructively and develop both as individuals and as a community.
