The first edition of ‘Jassad’, the International Festival of Women Stage Directors, is taking place from the 25th to the 30th of October. The festival's fourth day featured a master class delivered by actress and director Julia Varley at the French Institute of Rabat.

Jassad Festival: Rabat’s French Institute Hosts Master Class by Julia Varley

Rabat- The first edition of ‘Jassad’, the International Festival of Women Stage Directors, is taking place from the 25th to the 30th of October. The festival’s fourth day featured a master class delivered by actress and director Julia Varley at the French Institute of Rabat.

Julia Varley is renowned for her acting in Odin Teatret (an avant-garde theater group based in Denmark.) She is also a writer, the artistic director of the Transit Festival, and a founding member of the Magdalena Project– a network of women in contemporary theater.

The festival’s master class included both a theoretical and practical demonstration of musical theater. Varley incorporated a variety of elements to engross the audience in the artistic experience. She sang, acted, and danced while explaining how she uses her vocal cords to the audience (when and why she uses high and low notes.)

Varley was born in England, spent her early years in Italy, and later relocated to Denmark; as a result, her theatrical performance is both multicultural and multilingual. She performed extracts from plays including Talabot and Mythos in several languages.

The International Festival of Women Stage Directors honors the accomplishments of female directors around the world. An array of artistic and cultural activities were held over the course of the six-day festival, including plays, seminars, and a master class. Participants at the seminar

Participants at the seminar

The festival’s seminar, which took place yesterday, provided female stage directors with the opportunity to voice their opinions regarding Morocco’s theatrical scene. Additionally, it called for more inclusive gender representation in theater, one that does not depict stereotypes and does not misrepresent women.

Speaking to Morocco World News about the event, Moroccan playwright and writer Issam El Yousfi explained “We attempted to create a space where people could reflect and ask questions about the status of women in theater, how they work, what challenges they face, and how they can position themselves to be more visible and influential.”