The value of arts and literature can only be felt if they completely disappear. The inhabitants of a fictitious city were in complete despair and became lazy when the magician Baltazar stole the book of knowledge and erased the arts from their lives.This was the story of Jad and Yara, a musical play produced by Lebanese Kids Events Management company Wakazoo, and that was performed at the theater of the Sharjah International Book Fair.Jad and Yara were the saviors of the city as they found the book of knowledge and started to release the arts – music, painting, sculpting, filmmaking, dancing and literature. In doing so they rediscovered the beauty and value of each one.The play is packed with spectacular dance routines and songs that praised the arts while teaching children concepts such as how colors are produced, different dances from around the world, the relationship between sculpting and engineering and the value of the book as a companion.
“This is our third year of performing at the Sharjah International Book Fair,” said Ali Bourji, the producer from Wakazoo Group who said that they take their performances across the Arab world from Beirut to Egypt to Jordan. “This is the debut of Jad and Yara,” he said.Speaking about the importance of the play, Robert Eisa, who also plays the role of Baltazar, said that the main message of the play is to go back to reading and to appreciate the arts. “I feel that in the technological world that we’re living in, children are not reading any more,” he said.He added the arts help children increase their creativity and express themselves. “We wanted them to see the value of each individual form of art and to know that through music for instance, they can speak to the whole world,” said Eisa.