Hazem's major international work in theatre was connected to his significant involvement with the International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR), the most important international organization of theatre scholars. In this organization, Hazem became one of the best-known and most respected younger members. He began regularly attending IFTR in 2005 and the following year he and I, along with Khalid Amine from Morocco, gathered the required fifty signatures from members of the organization to establish an ongoing working group dedicated to research in the theatre of the Arab/Islamic world. The Arabic Theatre Working Group was officially established by the organization in 2007 and Hazem served as co-convener of the group from that time onward. As such he was responsible for much of the organization and energy of the group, which became one of the most active in the organization, producing a variety of books and publications, regularly organizing major panels for the plenary sessions of the annual conventions, and establishing an online journal, Arab Stages, which appears twice a year and offers essays, interviews and translations from the Arab world and the Arab diaspora.
His co-founding and leadership of the Arabic Theatre Working Group would have been in themselves a major contribution to IFTR, which up until 2005 had almost no representation of the Arab/Islamic world, but Hazem's dedication to the encouragement of the study of theatre was by no means confined to the Arab world. He soon became aware of another important group traditionally not well represented in the international organization. He felt strongly that student members of the organization should have more financial support and also a stronger voice in the governance of the society. The president of the organization at that time was Janelle Reinelt, from the University of Warwick, who later became Hazem's PhD director. Professor Reinelt was very sympathetic to Hazem's project to make the organization more democratic, one important element of which was to create student representation on the governing executive committee, which up until that time had always been composed entirely of faculty members and established scholars.
Professor Reinelt encouraged Hazem's efforts and he argued his case eloquently before the executive committee. The next president of the organization, Brian Singleton from Trinity College Dublin, was convinced by Hazem's arguments and strongly supported this change. In order to accomplish it, however, a constitutional amendment was necessary, and according to the rules of the organization, this can only be done every five years. The next such date was in 2010 and at that time an amendment to the constitution was indeed passed, with the overwhelming support of the membership. Since 2010, then, Hazem's goal of attaining ongoing student representation on the organization's executive committee has been achieved.
In fact it was achieved two years before, since the committee voted to accept Hazem, in view of his achievements and devotion to the project, to serve unofficially as student representative for the years until the post could be made official.
Thus both in the smaller project of the establishment of a major new working group within the organization and in the larger one of encouraging student involvement at the highest levels of the organization's governance, Hazem's service for almost two decades to IFTR was truly exceptional. I am most pleased to mention also one more element of his legacy to the organization. Already in Belgrade many delegates began thinking of establishing some kind of memorial fund in Hazem's honor, and the working group, recalling his commitment to bringing younger scholars, especially from developing nations, into the organization, proposed that such a fund be devoted to supporting young scholars from such nations so that they could afford to attend future conventions of the organization. This proposal was enthusiastically received by Jean Graham-Jones, the current president, and by other members of the executive committee. In the late summer of 2018 the Hazem Azmy IFTR Bursary Award Fund was officially established ‘to continue the passionate advocacy of student representation within IFTR for which Hazem is so fondly remembered’. Up to five bursary awards can be made from this fund to graduate students from developing (band B) countries to support their attendance at IFTR's annual conference. Given Hazem's devotion to international work and to the encouragement of young scholars, I can think of no more fitting memorial.
