Theatre director and artistic director Rabat, Morocco
Jaouad Essounani
Jaouad Essounani first encountered the stage at the age of seven in his Middle Atlas village. He later trained at ISADAC in Rabat, where he met artists who would become the core of his future company. In 2004, he founded Dabateatr, a multidisciplinary company he leads as director and artistic director, guided by the idea of “elite theatre for everyone”.
Influenced by travel and encounters in Europe, Damascus and Tunisia, and by directors including Fadhel Jaïbi, Richard Brunel and Peter Brook, Essounani developed a civic theatre in Darija that addresses social and political questions in contemporary Morocco, from freedom of expression to women’s lives. Since 2008, he has collaborated regularly with playwright Driss Ksikes. He was also involved in the creation of the Shems’y circus school in Salé, reflecting his belief in the social power of performing arts.
Jaouad Essounani first encountered the stage at the age of seven in his Middle Atlas village. He later trained at ISADAC in Rabat, where he met artists who would become the core of his future company. In 2004, he founded Dabateatr, a multidisciplinary company he leads as director and artistic director, guided by the idea of “elite theatre for everyone”.
Influenced by travel and encounters in Europe, Damascus and Tunisia, and by directors including Fadhel Jaïbi, Richard Brunel and Peter Brook, Essounani developed a civic theatre in Darija that addresses social and political questions in contemporary Morocco, from freedom of expression to women’s lives. Since 2008, he has collaborated regularly with playwright Driss Ksikes. He was also involved in the creation of the Shems’y circus school in Salé, reflecting his belief in the social power of performing arts.
