Emirati Theatre: The Incense Tray (Sayniyat Al Shuqoor)

In some Arabian cultures, the phenomena of witchcraft and fortune telling has been spreading as a means of dealing with the problems and uncertainties of life. This quackery offers to many the answers they may be seeking about relationships, lovers, careers, health, and marriage…despite their falsehood. Practitioners of witchcraft are supremely confident, and perhaps this partly explains the spread of their influence, as people naturally respond to confidence and are eager for a change in their fortunes.

The Incense Tray is part of a ritual called the visitor, which is a blessing-seeking ritual, and the play turns a critical and artful eye on an array of characters, situations, and stories…as well as the dark underbelly of witchcraft and fortune telling. There’s a real danger in witchcraft, as people of different cultures can fall prey to the promise of false answers and quick solutions to the problems that befall them.

Written by Hamid Fares
Directed by Ala’a Al-Naeemi
Starring: Hassan Yousef, Saeed Al-Hersh, Khamees Al-Yemahi, Mansour Al-Ghassani, Hamdan Al-Hendasi, Kadi Al-Qaisi.