Khayal.org

Karim is the President of the Lebanese center of the ASSITEJ (Association Internationale du Théâtre pour Enfants et Jeunesse). As an expert in stage direction specialized in puppet theatre, he has staged shows in Lebanese theatres and rural areas, as well as in international festivals in Europe, Russia and the Arab World.

At the start of his career in 1992, Karim founded the Lebanese Puppet Theatre which he still runs today. His passion for this art form led him to create the Mediterranean Puppet Festival in 1999 (now renamed Puppets in Caravan) link. He also designed and implemented several development and education projects funded by government institutions and cultural associations and NGOs, both locally and internationally. Karim has been teaching theatre, and particularly puppet theatre, at the Lebanese University since 1996.

Karim studied Stage Direction at the Saint Petersburg Academy of Theatre, Music and Cinema in Russia, and also holds a diploma of advanced theatre studies from the “Université Saint Esprit – Kaslik” in Lebanon. He also earned his Master’s degree in “Psychosocial Animation in War-Torn Societies” from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Lebanese University.

He is a member of the Worldwide Puppetry Organization (UNIMA) where he contributed to the World Encyclopedia of Puppetry as an author and coordinator for Islamic countries, and he is also a founding member of several international networks including “Voyages du Geste”, Euromedinculture, “Ombres et Marionnettes de la Mediterranée and “Fédération Internationale Marionnettes pour la Santé”.

Walid Dakroub

Lebanese Puppet Theatre Artistic Coordinator

Walid is a skilled puppet maker who has given the Lebanese Puppet Theatre several original characters of his own design and craftsmanship for the majority of the theatre’s productions.

He also teaches the subjects of scenography and wardrobe at the Faculty of Arts in the Lebanese University. Over the years, he has undertaken the scenography for several stage performances in Lebanon and Russia and has animated workshops on puppets and their artistic and educational uses.

Walid earned his Master’s Degree in Scenography and Wardrobe with a specialization in puppets; he holds a PHD in theatre, and has written his thesis on the aesthetics and philosophy of the shadow theatre in the Arab world.