Abdelretha to be awarded by Sharjah

Sharjah will present its 2013 award for Arab Theatrical Creativity to the regionally renowned Kuwaiti actor Abdulhussain Abdelretha, it was announced here on Wednesday. The honour will be bestowed upon the regionally-acclaimed comedian and actor at the launch of the event next year in March, for his huge contributions to the Gulf and Arab regions' drama, theatrical and intellectual movements, whereby he expressed the views of the public, head of the theatre section at Sharjah's Department of Culture and Information Ahmed Burahima said. The award has been presented to a number of critically-acclaimed entertainers like compatriot Saad Al-Faraj and Syria's Duraid Lahham. Burahima said the award comes in appreciation of intellectuals, artists and actors, who have carried out efforts to enrich the Arab cultural scene. Abdulhussain Abdelretha, 73, began his acting career in 1961 with his first role being a substitute for fellow actor Adnan Hussain in the play "Saqer Qureysh", conducted in classical Arabic. The actor went on to become part of the arguably most successful comedy cast ever in the Gulf region in the series "Darb Al-Zalag", which means slippery path in the Kuwaiti dialect, along with Saad Al-Faraj, Khaled Al-Nefeesi, Abdulaziz Al-Nimash and Ali Al-Mofeedi - the series depicting a Kuwaiti family, which seeks prosperity through an illegitimate business in hard economic times at the start of the oil boom. He also acted in and wrote the successful drama, "Al-Aqdar", among many other successful comedy and drama series particularly with his most successful duo cast alongside actress Suad Abdullah. Additionally a successful playwright, he acted in the hugely-celebrated satire Bye Bye London in the 1980s, which pokes fun at the introduction of globalism and Western ideals in an economically-booming post-oil Kuwaiti society. Others include Forsan Al-Manakh, which talks of life during the 1980s' controversial stock market fraud and Saif Al-Arab, which sheds light on the Saddam Hussein-launched Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s. The actor was also famed for his comic musicals, which he wrote and sang to along with Suad. Abdelretha is responsible for a number of movements and initiatives in the region, including the Arab Theatrical Group in 1961, the Kuwaiti National Theatre Group in 1976, Al-Funoon Theatre in 1984 and Al-Funoon Centre for Art Production and Distribution in 1989. He also launched Funoon TV, the first television channel dedicated to Arab drama, theatre and comedy, in 2006.