Farah Bitar to Asharq Al-Awsat: My heart beats with joy at my return to the stage

When the actress, Farah Bitar, tells you about her latest drama, “The Challenge”, which constituted the second part of “Secret”, she dives into its positive reflections on her, and considers that it colored her dramatic career and presented it in a new format that she had never touched before. “I have always played the role of the innocent, simple and quiet girl who endures a lot for the sake of the other. However, in (The Challenge) she took a completely different turn, embodying the role of a strong woman who takes the initiative upon herself and makes her decision without going back to anyone. It was a very nice experience, especially since I met with great stars such as Bassam Koussa, Carmen Lebbos, Bassem Mughniyeh, Stephanie Saliba and others.
Today, Farah Bitar’s destination has changed to move from drama to stage through the play “Soft Goods”, in which she presents a model for women who suffer from real psychological complexes. And she comments: “They are situations stemming from life that have nothing to do with any political events that we witnessed in Lebanon. It is just that the play is social par excellence, and it tells about how three people communicate with each other, which made it easier for them to discover these complexes.
When we mention the title of the work “Soft Goods”, it seems to the listener that it is a work for women, why this name? Is it associated with women only? In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, she replied: “He is, as evidenced, talking about goods for sale. This phrase was used in Iraq during the war, when it was circulated when selling women, but the writer of the work, Ralph Maatouk, used it from a completely different angle, and it is directly related to femininity and surrender to problems and frustration. However, since the beginning of the show, the viewer will not be able to clearly identify each of the three characters (Karacter) except at the end. Herein lies the element of surprise and excitement.
In this shift from drama to theater, Farah Bitar confirms that she is overwhelmed with great enthusiasm. And she explains, in the context of her speech: “When I was offered the role, my eyes sparkled and I did not believe that I would stand on the stage again. I previously participated in plays during my university studies, and then I had another experience at Al-Madina Theater in Beirut, but the drama stole me from the stage for 10 consecutive years, and therefore I feel very excited to be on stage again. My feelings, this time, are completely different from those I had in the drama. In the latter, I got used to the atmosphere and it became part of my acting career. As for today, I miss the theater and count the hours and minutes that separate me from the first show.”
“Dealing with the camera is much easier, especially since there are ways to avoid what we do. You can redo the scene, or the director resorts to montage and other methods. As for the theater, it is based on direct interaction with the audience, which gives us a greater responsibility.
But what about the drama? Is she taking a break from it? She replies: “In fact, I did not mean to take a break, but things happened to give me an opportunity to return to the stage. I was offered a drama filmed in Iraq, but because of my association with this theatrical work, which we had agreed upon several months ago, I had to apologize for the drama. Since last November, we have been rehearsing this theatrical work and consulting about its story and the roles that we will play. Therefore, it was necessary to devote himself to the play, away from the drama.
Farah tells how happy she is to be in the play alongside a Lebanese actress who has a rich acting career. «In fact, the team involved in the work is excellent harmony, and I am proud; I will share it with Samara Nohra, whose artistic value I am proud of locally and in the Arab world. I also previously collaborated with Ralph Maatouk, the playwright, in the series (Ghorba). There is a friendship that binds us since that time, and I am grateful for the theatrical opportunity that he gave me.
Bitar believes that the competition that Lebanon is witnessing today in presenting various plays is something that makes her happy. «It is a healthy competition and represents a strong return to the stage after a forced stagnation. When the art of theater is absent from any country, we quickly realize that it suffers from a problem. In his return, we feel the return of normal life, and that the heart of the country beats again because of him.
Bitar finally followed the series “Stiletto”, which she liked with its theme and actors. And she commented to Asharq Al-Awsat: “Unfortunately, I could not watch new dramas; Because I was busy with theatrical rehearsals, but (Stiletto) had an impact on people, and I personally liked its plot in general. In my opinion, drama makers should, from time to time, go to a different place that is not similar to popular productions. And she adds: «This work may be far from reality, but regardless of whether people like this genre or vice versa, it caused a positive stir on the scene, and the actors in it were wonderful and I admired Carlos Azar and Rita Harb, who presented the different in their career. And therefore, both Nada Bou Farhat and Dima Kandalaft, the latter, and despite all the evil that she embodied, people loved her.
Bitar promises herself to follow up on Ramadan dramas, led by Nadine Nassib Njeim’s “Finally”. “I am a huge fan of her performance and her work, as she is always renewed. She knows how to add to her performance. It is in her voice and tone, and in her external form or in the lines of the personality that she embodies in her details. And Bitar concludes: “One of the works that I adhere to watching in Ramadan is also (For Death 3). I am eager to know the plot adopted by its writer Nadine Jaber. I have a series of questions about the fate of his two heroines, Sahar and Reem (Daniella Rahma and Maguy Bou Ghosn), how they resisted death and returned to life. What problems will they encounter after all that they went through in the previous two parts? There is no doubt a high level of excitement awaiting us, especially since there are new acting elements that Kurd al-Khal enters into.