Preparations are in full swing for the
16th edition of the Egyptian National Theatre Festival, scheduled to run in
Cairo from 27 July to 12 August.
Named in honor of the legendary
actor Adel Emam, the 2023 festival will be managed by actor Mohamed Riyad,
appointed to the job by the Ministry of Culture earlier this year. Riad has
been planning a special program to pay tribute to Emam's illustrious 60-year
career.
Additionally, esteemed actors such as
Mohamed Abu Daoud, Mohamed Mahmoud, Roshdy El-Shamy, Riyad El-Khouly, Samy
Abdel-Halim, and Salah Abdullah, as well as set designer Noha Barada, will be
honoured during the festival.
The festival's grand opening ceremony
promises an enchanting performance by iconic Egyptian composer Hany
Shenouda. Shenouda will present a medley of his own film scores from Adel
Emam's movies.
Over 60 plays from different national
theatre troupes will compete at this year's festival, up from 34 staged during
2022's 15th edition.
Various industry workshops are
scheduled to take place alongside the National Theatre Festival, including
directing classes by Shady Sorour, scenography sessions by Amr Abdullah, and
theatre management lessons by Safwat Hegazy. Director Khaled Galal will offer a
session on career-building.
An acting workshop, led by Ahmed
Mukhtar, has already begun, training 60 actors from a pool of 600 applicants.
The festival offers a range of awards
for outstanding work in the theatre industry, such as its writing award named
for Abu El-Ela El-Salamony, and a new contest for film criticism.
Source: Ahram
Online
