Department of Theater

Mr. Osama bin Zaid al-Shaqsi – Oman (Head of the Department of Theater)

(Osama Zaid) is an Omani playwright and stage director who works at the Ministry of Information and heads the Al-Bunn troupe for theater and performing arts. He has cemented a Gulf-wide presence by winning first prize three times in the Sharjah Award for Theatrical Playwriting – Adult Texts: in 2022 for Playing on the Edge of Chess, in 2023 for Waiting for the Family, and in 2025 for As of a Dream Yesterday; he also took second prize in the 2024 cycle for An Extraordinary Guest. His practice spans writing, directing, and dramaturgy, with a marked inclination toward experimentation, pursuing a careful balance between structural rigor and bold social themes, condensed language and dialogue, and an attentive use of visual rhythm and stage space. Among his notable scripts are Companions of the Sabbath and The Ship Is Sinking. Al-Shaqsi believes that “what cannot be said in life is said in the theater,” a vision that fuels his project of crafting text-driven theater that restores the text’s force, reassembles society’s latent questions through contemporary forms, and opens space for young actors and the development of local troupes.