Economic curtain closing on Iraqi theater
Theatrical productions are languishing in Iraq as austerity measures take center stage.
BAGHDAD — Young Iraqi actor and director Alaa Qahtan has received numerous Iraqi and Arab awards for his more than 20 theatrical works. But to Qahtan, the future looks bleak and confusing, as the Culture Ministry's cinema and theater department does not have the budget to produce new works.
Director Tahrir Asadi shares Qahtan’s concern. Although he is currently preparing for a theatrical project he wrote and directed himself, he knows no one will produce it and it will not be performed on stage anytime soon.
Iraq is suffering a severe economic crisis, with oil prices dropping below $40 a barrel recently and costs mounting in the war on the Islamic State, which now controls about a third of Iraq.
Austerity policies pursued by the Iraqi government since the end of 2014 have disrupted many investment and service projects, but cultural projects have been affected the most. For example, the Iraqi government said in August it would begin closing its cultural centers in several European countries.
