Theater Icon.. Suad Abdullah's Journey and Getting to Know Her Duality

Suad Abdullah is a Kuwaiti actress, born on September 2, 1950. She is considered one of the most prominent and brightest artists in the Gulf, as she appeared in television and theatrical comedies. In addition to being an actress, she has the ability to perform songs very beautifully, as she participated in many operettas with Abdul Hussein Abdul Redha, Khaled Al-Nafisi, and the Syrian artist Duraid Lahham.

Saad Abdullah also released a song titled Makari in the late seventies with the participation of the artists Basma Hamada and Lamia Hamada. She also presented many national and sports songs. During her artistic career, she wrote the idea for more than one artistic work in which she participated, including the series Ashes and Dar Al-Zaman.

Suad Abdullah was born in Basra, southern Iraq, to an Iraqi family, on September 2, but her date of birth in official documents is May 20, 1949. Her father died when she was young. Her mother married a Kuwaiti merchant and moved with him to live in Kuwait with her siblings Amal and Salem. She grew up in the Sharq area. On September 5, 1968, she married the Kuwaiti director Faisal Al-Dahi.

After that, Suad Abdullah obtained Kuwaiti citizenship after her marriage to him. She gave birth to three children from him: Talal, who works as an aviation engineer; Fawaz, who works as an engineer; and Alia, who works in the field of investment. She is the sister of media personality Amal Abdullah, and her half-sister from her mother is makeup artist Salwa Salman, with whom she has collaborated in many works.

She received her first classes at Basra Elementary School, and after moving to Kuwait, she spent her childhood near the sea, where she mastered imitating people from a young age, and participated in historical plays at school, such as Umm Salama. Then, the state embraced her participation in school activities through the Ministry of Education.

Suad Abdullah then joined the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in 1975 and graduated with a very good grade in 1979. Her class included Ali Al-Mufidi, Mubarak Suwaid and Kazem Al-Zamel, and the dean of the institute at that time was Saeed Khattab.

Suad Abdullah began her career in 1963 with the late artist Mohammed Al-Nashmi in a TV program called Diwaniyat Al-Television, then she started in the field of theater in 1964 with the Kuwaiti Theater Troupe in the play “Her Luck Breaks the Rock,” written and directed by Mohammed Al-Nashmi, and while in 1965 she acted with the same troupe in the play “I Wanted It to Be Tarab, It Became a Catching Fire,” also written by Mohammed Al-Nashmi and directed by Thamer Al-Sayyar.

Asaad Abdullah continued her cooperation with the Kuwaiti Theater Troupe, as she presented the plays Al-Sidra and Qadi Ishbiliya, then she moved after that to the Arab Theater Troupe and participated in the plays Ighnam Zamanak and 30 Days of Love. She also performed a group of plays with the Gulf Theater, including He Has a Certificate, The Barrier, Allah Ya Dunya, A Groom for the Sultan’s Daughter, The Protector and the Thief. She also presented plays with other troupes, including: Ali Janah Al-Tabrizi, Ali Haman Ya Pharaoh, and Azoubi Al-Salmiya.

Comedies and tragedies Suad Abdullah also presented many comedic and tragic works, including series, plays, programs, riddles, television evenings, operettas, and radio series, during her artistic career.

Suad Abdullah is considered the first Gulf artist to present programs of riddles and competitions, as she presented a Ramadan competition program in which the artist Abdul Hussain Abdul Redha participated, and it was called Amthal and Ghatawi, in a Gulf style. Since the beginning of the nineties of the twentieth century, she has turned to dramatic works with a tragic character.

Suad Abdullah's first acting role In 1963, the principal of Al-Midan School, where she was studying, introduced her in the play “Al-Mutawaa”, which was her first acting role on stage. However, the first year of her artistic life was not without events and obstacles that almost forced her to abort her artistic career. In 1964, she found herself faced with two decisive choices: either leave art or continue her education, after she was absent from school for three days once because she was busy recording a TV evening. When she returned to school, she found punishment awaiting her, in addition to the administration’s decision to determine her choice. At that critical stage, the Egyptian actress Faten Anwar, who was working as an English teacher in Kuwait at the time, rushed to help her out of this predicament. She sympathized with her, consoled her, and encouraged her to pursue cinema.

Suad Abdullah's duets Suad Abdullah formed many distinctive duos during her career, leaving an imprint on the Kuwaiti viewer, including her participation with the artist Abdul Hussain Abdul Redha in some distinctive artistic works such as Private Lesson, Salmiya Bachelor, On Haman Ya Pharaoh, Operetta Basat Al-Faqr, Operetta Madaabat Qabl Al-Zawaj, Operetta Shahr Al-Honey, Operetta Baad Al-Honey, Zaman Al-Askafi and many others.

She also presented, with the artist Hayat Al-Fahad, a series of the most important successful television works, including: Ruqayyah and Sabika, Ala Al-Donia Al-Salam, Aunt Qumasha, Suleiman Al-Tayeb, He Went Out and Didn’t Return, Private Lesson, and others.

From the radio works of Suad Abdullah Millionaire on probation. Orange blossom and the light of the country of omen. Lawyer without a case. A window into history. Behind you, behind you. Gray hair braids. Khamis Bo Khamis Please get me out of this barrel. Forgiving is generous. Shepherd of the Diwaniya. We met by chance. Congratulations on the wedding of Monday. It was fate. The session was adjourned.

National contributions of Suad Abdullah

She contributed to many national works during the period of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

We will remain standing play. The operetta of the Muhammadan night. In love with Kuwait After the liberation of Kuwait, Suad Abdullah presented

Kuwait play of steadfastness and challenge. Thursday dawn play. The Occupation Trench play. This is in addition to many television programs, patriotic songs and operettas about the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Suad Abdullah and the theater Kuwaiti star Suad Abdullah stated that despite her long artistic experience that spanned about 40 years, she felt terrified on the last two occasions when she stood on the stage of the Kuwait Opera House during its opening, and during the visit of the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Kuwait. She said that the reason for the fear may be the factor of advancing age.

Suad Abdullah stated about the possibility of returning to the theater, that the idea is on the table, but it depends on a good theatrical text that holds the stick from the middle, which is considered a rare commodity these days, and the text must present an interesting and good idea that entertains the audience.

Suad Abdullah expressed her surprise that the ceiling of artistic freedoms had decreased compared to what it was in her previous works with the Kuwaiti star Abdulhussain Abdulredha, and that this was due to the lack of conviction that art is an active and influential educational tool for the Arab peoples, and based on that, the general situation has changed with regard to Kuwaiti theatre in particular and the Gulf theatre in general.