Mohsen Zaazaa

A young teacher arrives to take over a village school isolated in the shimmering desert. Legendary figures materialize out of wells and the desert itself, groups of children hurry through a labyrinth of underground corridors, and the teacher is whisked away to a mysterious rendezvous and never returns.

A masterpiece of Tunisian theatre and arguably its most iconic production to date, Marshal Ammar has been performed over 300 times across Tunisia and remains deeply ingrained in popular culture, especially through its television broadcasts. The play tells the story of a wealthy yet uncultured man, Marshal Ammar, who desperately tries to bridge the gap between his social standing and the aristocracy. His misguided attempts to appear refined lead to a series of foolish decisions, resulting in comical and often farcical situations.

Mamluk is an unassuming, handsome young peasant who happens to have come along just in time to save the king from a fatal trap, and as a reward, the king offers him the amount of land he can mark off by walking around in one day but he must return to the starting point before sunset.