Algerian halqa theatre: from heritage to emergence

Cultural exchange through the arts can take forms that either flatten or energise artistic heritage. The genres of encounter through which such exchanges take place are vital to their success. This paper examines encounters between the Algerian theatre troupe Istijmam and the French troupe GENA as they worked to produce an Algerian play based on the tradition of halqa, or marketplace storytelling. An ethnographic account of the troupes’ rehearsals considers how their textual ideology, translation practices, and participant structure worked to attenuate rather than foreground cultural differences. Their encounters are contrasted with a cultural exchange tour that Istijmam previously undertook in the United States, in which cultural differences were highlighted in ways that precluded more balanced collaboration. In the end, genres of encounter may prove more vital than cultural content in promoting intercultural exchange.