Tayeb Saddiki


Tayeb Saddiki was a Moroccan theatre director and one of the most iconic and prominent Arab artists, and is considered among the foremost Arab dramatists of the twentieth century. Trained in classical Western theater, Saddiki also embraced traditional Moroccan theatrical styles, fusing the two into a path-breaking combination of Western and traditional Moroccan theater. Known for staging spectacles played to large crowds in big arenas, Saddiki developed a style of festive theater that became popular in the Arab world.
He is a pioneer of Arab theater, an actor and a film director, but he was also an award-winning author writing in both Arabic and French. From a family of scholars, he was born in Essaouira and grew up in Casablanca. After training courses with André Voisin, at the age of 17 he went abroad to France to study theater at Comédie de l'Ouest - CDO, directed by Hubert Gignoux. Back in Morocco, together with the Union Marocaine du Travail he founded a Workers' theater / Al Masrah Al Oummali. After that, he returned to France to further study theater technics at the TNP -the National Popular Theater in Paris-, under the direction of Jean Vilar.
At 23, he became artistic director of the Mohamed V theater. After that he worked as director of the municipal theater of Casablanca from 1964 to 1977.
He founded several theatre companies: Firqat Saddiki / Saddiki's troupe, Al Masrah Al Jawal / Traveling theater, Masrah Ennas / People's Theater and also his own cultural center at Casablanca, Espace Tayeb Saddiki at the boulevard Gandhi in Casablanca.

Biography

Source:
  • 1953 - Stage of Dramatic Art at Maâmora, Interpretation Award / Direction André Voisin and Charles Nugue
  • 1954 - First contract with Moroccan theater troupe / la troupe du théâtre marocain, the first professional troupe in Morocco
  • 1956 - Workshop at Centre Dramatique de l’Ouest – C.D.O, Rennes - Direction Hubert Gignoux
  • 1957 - Works at the National Popular Theater - T.N.P in Paris, Direction Jean Vilar
  • 1957-1958 - Founder of the Workers' theater, Morocco
  • 1959 - Training course at the Center Dramatique de l'Est - D.E, Direction Hubert Gignoux
  • 1960 - Study Tour Berliner Ensemble - Germany, Direction Hélène Weigel - Bertolt Brecht's theatre company
  • 1960 - Founder of The troupe of the Municipal Theater /, Casablanca, Morocco
  • 1963 - Founder of Firqat Saddiki / Saddiki's troupe, Morocco
  • 1964 - Artistic director of the Mohamed V theater, Rabat
  • 1967-1969 - Member of the executive committee of Institut International du Théâtre, I.T.I – UNESCO
  • 1964-1977 - Director of the municipal theater of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
  • 1970-1977 - Founder of Café-théâtre, Théâtre Municipal de Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
  • 1970 - Founder of Masrah Ennas / People's Theater, Casablanca, Morocco
  • 1974 - Founder of Al Masrah Al Jawal / Traveling theater, Casablanca, Morocco
  • 1980 - Founder of Essaouira Festival Music first / la musique d'abord
  • 1980 - 1982 - Responsible at the Ministry of Tourism, Casablanca, Morocco
  • 1984-1986 - Television is moving, S.N.R.T, program to revamp Moroccan television programs, Morocco
  • 1997 - Founder of the Espace Tayeb Saddiki, Casablanca, Morocco

    Distinctions

CountryDecorationYear
Ouissam al-Massira / the medal of the march, awarded by King Hassan II1976
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres / Knight of Arts and Letters1979
Officier des Arts et des Lettres / Officer of Arts and Letters1983
Price of the first work at Carthage Film Days for his film Zeft1984
Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres / Commander of Arts and Letters1997
Ouissam al-Kafaâ al-Fikria / The Medal of Intellectual Competence, décerné par le Roi Mohammed VI2005

Works

  • Theater director: more than eighty works
  • Repertory: has written thirty two plays, translation and adaptation of thirty-four dramatic works, eighteen co-written works
  • Actor: in about fifty plays, a dozen movies and thirty five dramatic works and television shows
  • Painter Calligrapher: Exhibitions in Morocco and Tunisia, Kuwait, Qatar, Sultanate of Oman, France, Canada, Belgium, Algeria...
  • Cinema: directed four short films and a movie, wrote and directed a dozen documentaries and played in a dozen films
  • Television: produced and directed for television thirty shows
  • Television is moving ": program to redesign programs of the Moroccan television SNRT
  • Other:
  • * Participated to the researches and writing of the book: Morocco and Traditional Islamic Crafts in Architecture - 2 volumes, Author : André Paccard, Edition: Workshop 74, 1986
  • * Prefacier of the book: Mogador, my love, Author: Marcel Crespil, Illustrator: William Olegini, Edition: Casablanca: EDDIF, 1990
  • * Illustrator of the book: Freshness of Islam, Author: Gabriel Bounoure, Edition: Saint-Clément-la-Rivière:, 1995
  • * Contributed to the writing of the book Moroccan Civilization, Arts and Cultures, under the direction of Mohamed Sijelmassi, editions OUM and Actes Sud / Sindbad, 1996

    Cinema actor

  • 1955 : Le Poulet, Jean Fléchet
  • 1956 : Le médecin malgré lui, Directed by Henry Jacques, adapted from Molière, presented at Cannes festival in 1956
  • 1957 : Brahim ou le collier de beignets, by Jean Fléchet, Presented at the Berlin Festival
  • 1959: Loqmat Aïch, by Larbi Bennani
  • 1960: Les fourberies Scapin,, Cinema adaptation of Molière's play, directed by Jean Mousselle and adapted by Mahieddine Bachtarzi Algeria, production Fred Orain : Castella Films & Armor Films
  • 1962: Tartarin De Tarascon, Francis Blanche
  • 1962: The children of the sun, Jacques Severac Cannes Film Festival of 1962
  • 1962: Lawrence of Arabia, David Lean
  • 1976: Arrissala, Mostapha Akkad
  • 1977: Zenobia Queen of Palmyrene, Serie TV with Nidal Al Achkar
  • 1984: Zeft, by Tayeb Saddiki
  • 1986: The child of the sand, Hamid Bénani
  • 1995: The Prayer of the Absentee, Hamid Bénani
  • 2001: Assir Al Matrouz, Omar Chraïbi
  • 2008: Voyage court mais trash, Short film by Raja Saddiki

    Scenarios and productions

Motion picture

  • Zeft, movies from the play by the same author Sidi Yassin Fi Tariq

    Movie Scenarios

  • Blood Wedding, Souheil Ben Barka, 1976, as co-writer and dialogue
  • Sijnabad, written by Tayeb Saddiki in 1984, never shot
  • The golden tooth / la dent d'or, written by Tayeb Saddiki in 1985, never shot

    Documentaries

  • Traditional medicine with Jacques Barratier
  • Dragonfly
  • The Ciriers of Fez
  • Moroccan painting
  • Agadir's marquee
  • Dakira, 10 hours on the history of Morocco
  • It was a faith , film about the Hassan II Mosque with Hamid Berrada

    Institutional films

  • BCM
  • OCP
  • The Marrakech Festival
  • I.U.M
  • The Baghdad Festival

    Adapted works for television

  • Al Faylassouf
  • Mahjouba
  • The Farce of the Master Pathelin
  • Volpone
  • Diwan Sidi Abderrahman El Mejdoub
  • Sidi Yassin Fi Tariq
  • El Harraz
  • Annour Oua Addijour
  • Khourafat Al Maskine
  • Annakcha
  • Translated Signs
  • The superstition
  • The good ones
  • The Fear of the Blows
  • Al Qouq fi Sandouq
  • Moummou Boukhersa
  • Nahnou
  • Massiratouna
  • Alf Hikaya Wa Hikaya Fi Souq Okad
  • Maqamat Badii Ezzamane El Hamadani
  • Aswat Oua Adouae
  • The Seven Grains Of Beauty
  • Al Fil Wa Sarawil
  • Wa Laou Kanat Foula
  • Jnane Chiba
  • Qaftane Al Hob Al Mrassae Bal Houa
  • Al Qouq Fi Sandouq
  • Bouktef
  • Azizi
  • Al Karassi

    Plays

  • Ammi Zalt
  • * Original work: Bonhomme Misère
  • * Staging and dramatic rewriting : André Voisin
  • * Adaptation: Ahmed Taïeb El Alj
  • * Language : Arabic
  • Maâlem Azzouz
  • * Original work: Le Barbier de Séville, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
  • * Adaptation: Ataa Ouakil
  • * Stage direction: André Voisin
  • * Language : Arabic

    1955-1956

  • Ach’taba
  • * Original work: Troupe du Théâtre Marocain
  • * Stage direction: André Voisin
  • * Language : Arabic
  • Aâmayel J’ha
  • * Original work: Les fourberies de Scapin, Molière
  • * Adaptation: Ataa Ouakil
  • * Stage direction: André Voisin
  • * Assistant: Tayeb Saddiki
  • * Language : Arabic
  • Hamland
  • * Original work: William Shakespeare
  • * Translation: Khalil Matran, Tahar Ouaâziz
  • * Stage direction: André Voisin
  • * Language : Arabic
  • Ahl Al Kahf
  • * Original work: Tawfiq Al Hakim
  • * Stage direction: Didier Béraud
  • * Language : Arabic

    1956-1957

  • Al Warith
  • * Original work: Le légataire universel, Jean-François Regnard
  • * Adaptation: Ahmed Taïeb El Alj and Tayeb Saddiki
  • * Stage direction: Tayeb Saddiki
  • * Language : Arabic
  • Al Faylassouf
  • * Original work: La jalousie du barbouillé de Molière
  • * Adaptation & Stage direction: Ahmed Taïeb El Alj and Tayeb Saddiki
  • * Language : Arabic
  • Le médecin volant, Molière
  • * Adaptation & Stage direction: Ahmed Taïeb El Alj and Tayeb Saddiki
  • * Language : Arabic
  • Les Bonnes, Jean Genand
  • * Adaptation & Stage direction: Ahmed Taïeb El Alj and Tayeb Saddiki
  • * Language : Arabic

    1957-1958

  • Al Moufattich
  • * Original work: Le Révizor de Nicolaï Gogol
  • * Adaptation & Stage direction: Tayeb Saddiki
  • * Language : Arabic
  • Volte-face
  • * Original work: Bayn Yawm Wa layla de Tawfiq Al Hakim
  • * Translation : Théâtre multicolore, recueil de pièces de théâtre, Nouvelles Ed. Latines, 1954
  • * Stage direction: Tayeb Saddiki
  • * Language : French

    1958-1959

  • Al Jins Allatif
  • * Original work: L’assemblée des femmes and Lysistrata d’Aristophane
  • * Adaptation & Stage direction: Tayeb Saddiki
  • * Language : Arabic
  • Pantagleize
  • * Original work: Michel de Ghelderode
  • * Stage direction: Georges Goubert
  • * Language : French
  • *Centre dramatique de l’Ouest – C.D.O.