Theatre emerged in Algeria in the mid-1920s,  but its earliest beginnings were modest and rudimentary, taking the form of cracouze plays  and shadow theatre (Chinese theatre) or traditional theatre, as Algeria had known it before the arrival of the Ottomans. These performances continued into the 19th century, with many travellers noting their existence, such as Pukler Muskan (PUKLER MUSKAN who, according to Arlet, witnessed Krakouz performances in Algiers in 1835, which continued until they were banned by the colonial administration, which considered them a factor inciting revolution.

Regarding theatre:

This is in addition to the folk theatrical forms that abound in Algerian heritage and which paved the way for ‘the emergence of the actor and the birth of true theatre’, as exemplified by religious and social celebrations, the ecstatic movements of the Issawa, pilgrimages and visits to the tombs of the saints, and the celebrations associated with Ashura, which were accompanied by theatrical performances.

Factors contributing to the emergence of Algerian theatre:

These factors can be ranked in order of importance as follows:

A. Visits by Arab theatre troupes From the beginning of the 20th century, Algeria saw a influx of visits from a number of Arab theatre troupes, the most influential of which on the development of Algerian theatre include: the Al-Qardahi troupe, which visited both Tunisia and Algeria in 1908.

B. George Abid’s Egyptian Theatre Troupe: The Lebanese artist George Abid toured the Arab world with his troupe, visiting Libya and Tunisia before arriving in Algeria in 1921. He staged several plays at the New Theatre in Algiers, including: ‘The Revenge of the Arabs’, ‘Saladin al-Ayyubi’ by Naguib Haddad, and ‘Majnun Layla’. The troupe’s activities extended to Tlemcen and Constantine, where they staged similar performances.

Although George Abid’s performances did not attract large audiences, they had a direct impact on the development of Algerian theatre, as in the same year a group of Algerian intellectuals and students took the initiative to establish the ‘Society of Arabic Literature and Drama’ , known as Al-Mahdaba, on 5 April 1921. Under the chairmanship of Al-Tahir Ali Al-Sharif, the society staged several plays, including ‘Healing After Hardship’ in 1921 and the play ‘Badi’ in 1924.

T. Subsequently, numerous troupes emerged: the Egyptian Ezzedine Troupe (which performed in Algeria in 1922), the Fatima Al-Rashidi Troupe (1932)....

Among the theatrical endeavours recorded by history in the 20th century are those associated with Prince Khalid, who, whilst attending a graduation ceremony at the Paris Conservatoire in 1910, took the opportunity to ask Georges Abid to send him some plays in Arabic. Indeed, upon his return to Egypt, he sent him Shakespeare’s *Macbeth* and Khalil al-Yazji’s *Al-Maru’ah wa al-Wafa’* (Chivalry and Loyalty) from 1876, followed by *Shahid Beirut* (The Martyr of Beirut) by the Poet of the Nile, Hafiz Ibrahim. Prince Khalid handed the plays over to three societies he had previously founded in Algiers, Blida and Médéa.

The theatre movement expanded to include the city of Tlemcen, where the ‘Al-Barkaniya Society’ staged the play *Barad al-Sam* in 1913, and then to the city of Médéa, where the local society would stage two plays: ‘The Murder of Al-Hussein’ in 1913, attended by Sheikh Muhammad ibn Shannab, Mufti Hamid Fakhar and Prince Khalid, followed by the play ‘Jacob the Jew’ in 1914, before spreading to other cities in Algeria.

These circumstances enabled Algerian theatre to resume its activities under the leadership of Al-Tahir Al-Sharif, founder of the Society for Arabic Literature and Drama, who staged three plays in Arabic, leading Boujadi to regard him as ‘the true founder of theatre as an organised cultural and artistic endeavour’; followed by Mohamed Reda Mansali (1889–1943), who would present two plays: the first, entitled ‘For the Sake of the Fatherland’, on 22 December 1922, and the second, entitled ‘The Conquest of Andalusia’.

Algerian theatre emerged from the Algerian national movement, imbued with its values and influenced by them; it was used as a means of struggle against French colonialism within the framework of cultural resistance. The National Liberation Front had its own theatre troupe, which performed in various countries to raise awareness of the Algerian cause and rally support for it.