RIYADH – Saudi Arabia’s first female actress to play a role alongside othermen took center stage on Friday in “The Empror’s New Groove” public play inthe kingdom.
The actress, Najat Mouftah, expressed her feelings regarding thisexperience.
Mouftah said: “I am happy to be the first actress to do this. However, I amnot sure if there was an actress who preceded me, and was more happy topractise my hobby and talent on stage in a public show”, she said in aninterview with Al Arabiya.net.
“I had previous experiences in doing simple ‘sketches’ on YouTube andInstagram, but I have never been on stage; this is my first time.”
Explaining the story leading to her participating in “The Emperor’s NewGroove” play, Najat said that it happened by chance after she received amessage from her friend telling her that there are auditions in the “RedCurtains” group.
As such, she decided to attend and try out for the auditions. Indeed,Mouftah earned a spot in the play and was selected by the committee nearlya month ago.
The young actress, who is currently studying Information Technology,explained that she was chosen to take on the role of the evil characterYzma. Her role involved three weeks of rehearsals.Mother’s fears
She also pointed out that her mother was afraid that she would choose to bean actress. However, such fears were eliminated once she saw her daughter’sperformance and was convinced that she was talented.
“After my first scene, my mother was surprised by my performance as she didnot believe that I would have the courage. She thought that I can onlyperform at home and make them laugh,” said Mouftah.
Najat Mouftah on stage playing The Empror’s New Groove character Yzma.(Supplied)
Looking at future plans, Mouftah said that she sees herself on stagebecause she receives the reactions from the audience directly.Initial worries
According to Mouftah, she was optimistic and confident for her first showin Riyadh. At the time, she said: “Tonight (Friday), I must succeed in thetheater show hosted by the theaters of Dar al-Ulum College in Riyadh, as Ihave been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
Although she was worried, she believed that this was normal. “The team gaveme a lot of support. It is impossible to perform something that would notsatisfy them or myself, she added.
Abdelkhaliq bin Rafa, head of the artistic department in the “Red Curtains”group, said that the “The Emperor’s New Groove” play is one of “WaltDisney” myths which was originally a film. He also said that the stageversion has undergone modifications to make it suitable for families andalso had Saudi elements added to it.
He explained that the play was showcased four times in Jeddah in 2017. Butwhat makes this rendition different and new is the introduction of a femaleactress as former versions were all performed by a male actor, he added.