Human Resources and Administrative Procedures Delay Opening of Major New Theaters in Morocco

“Why do the newly constructed theatres in Morocco remain closed, despite the completion of work on them?” is a question that comes to the minds of many who follow the progress of these cultural facilities, which the Kingdom is counting on to revive many vital sectors.

In Casablanca, the Grand Theatre in Mohammed V Square is still “closed”, despite the completion of work on it, after King Mohammed VI gave the start of its work in 2014, with a total budget of 1,440 million dirhams.

The official website of “Casa Menagement” stated that “the Grand Theater in Casablanca is one of the most important cultural complexes in our country, the African continent, and the Arab world.”

The same source added that this cultural facility is a multi-purpose space dedicated to all stage arts: theatre, dance, music and musicals. This cultural centre can host cultural and artistic events and performances of international scale throughout the year.

In Rabat, the Grand Theatre is still watching over the banks of the Bouregreg Valley, with its doors closed, despite the completion of work on it.

In other cities, work is still underway on their new theatres, and the Grand Theatre in Agadir was supposed to be completed this year; however, work is still ongoing.

The financial envelope for this project reached 250 million dirhams, and the construction works were launched in 2022. In Nador, there are no indications about the fate of the Grand Theater project, which was also announced in 2022.

Last May, there was talk through a call for proposals launched by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication about building the Grand Theatre in Fez, which faced a delay of 3 years.

Returning to the theatres that remained closed despite the announcement of the completion of work on them, Hisham Abqari, Director of the Arts Directorate at the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, explained that the problem is largely “related to the lack of qualified human resources in the field of theatre management.”

Abqari added, in a statement to Hespress, that “these theaters need human resources specialized in technical fields, not just at the administrative level, and currently there is a lack of adequate training in this field in Morocco,” explaining that “the sound or lighting engineer and lighting supervisors are fields that embody this lack of training.”

The same official explained that the person who will undergo training in these technical fields needs another specialist to train him, stressing that “this matter requires a lot of time, and it has largely contributed to the delay in opening these theaters.”

He added: “The economic model also plays a role in the fate of opening these cultural facilities, which will necessarily be economic targets after their construction, and therefore determining this matter is important.”

Abqari returned to the problem of human resources for managing theaters, adding that “these projects had to start building their human resources from the beginning, not until they were finished, and after that nothing.”

Regarding other theatres that are still under construction, the Director of the Arts Department at the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication confirmed that “these projects are currently being worked on and are under construction.”

He added that “constructing theaters is not easy, especially since the construction procedures are complex, and many actors are involved, and if a defect occurs in one of them, the project stops for a long time,” stressing that “the procedures are the primary reason for this delay.”

The same official stressed that “building these facilities is not like private buildings, it requires many paths, and the Casablanca Theater faces, in addition to human resources obstacles, the challenges of procedures and the intense overlap of actors.”