The former city of Mazagan, now known as El Jadida, was equipped with a municipal theater during the colonial era. Also known as the Mohammed Saïd Afifi Theater, in honor of one of its directors, it is a prominent venue for the city, renowned for the quality and diversity of its cultural and artistic programming.
Between Molière and Lise Taylor: a glorious past
Built in 1920 and initially designed to serve as a dance hall and ballroom exclusively reserved for the settlers who resided in the city, it was not until 1930 that it was transformed into a theater. For its premiere, it offered a performance of Molière's famous play, "The Imaginary Invalid." This christening was a good omen since then, since the Municipal Theater has continued to welcome great international and Moroccan artists to its grounds. Elisabeth Taylor has trod the boards of this legendary theater, but also Richard Burton, Serge Reggiani, Maher El Attat, and many other great names.
A space for affirming Moroccan identity
The first all-Moroccan performance was staged in 1946 by Driss Lmseffer. A year later, it was the turn of a Moroccan Jewish theater company to take the stage with the play "The Son of Aâouicha," directed by the impresario Haïm Nsaïm. The theater then established itself as a space for national cohesion, and El Jadida as a city of peaceful and fruitful religious coexistence.
The late Mohammed Said Afifi and the golden age of the Municipal Theatre
It was following the appointment of Mohammed Saïd Afifi as director that the theater experienced its boom in the early 1960s. The artistic verve of this art enthusiast and cultural activist allowed the theater to host its first regular troupe and promote performances by Moroccan and foreign companies. The El Jadida Municipal Theater then experienced its golden age, for which the city's residents still cherish the nostalgia. When Mohammed Saïd Afifi left the theater's management in 1984, the theater was neglected and gradually fell into decline. It was not until 2012 that the authorities decided to restore this temple of comedy and tragedy.
