Approaching Sa‘dallāh Wannūs’s Drama: The Manifestos for a New Arab Theater

Sa‘dallāh Wannūs’s “Bayānāt li-masraḥ ‘arabī jadīd” (Manifestos for a New Arab Theatre) has been a call for a new movement in Arab theater. Written in 1970 and translated here in its entirety for the first time, this text expresses his philosophy on the revitalization of Arab theater and its impact on the masses. The article provides an introduction that traces the development of Wannūs’s theater and his contribution to its renewal as he theorizes about it in this significant document. The article thus contextualizes the translated Manifestos within Wannūs’s legacy and major contributions to Arab theater.