The 30th Cairo International Festival
for Experimental Theatre (CIFET) kicked off last Friday with a grand ceremony
held at the Cairo Opera House's main stage.
Scriptwriter
and author of the opening play Charlie Medhat El-Adl welcomed the
audience to the festival, referring to it as “one of the most important and
oldest theatre festivals in the world." This
year’s edition is set to run until 8 September.
The festival's president Sameh Mahran
spoke about theatre as an art form that can move from one social and
organizational format to another. "There is no change in societies
without experimentation. Whoever does not experiment, closes himself within his
own circle, and dies suffocated by isolation and silence.”
The opening ceremony included a staging
of Charlie, a musical directed by Ahmed El-Bohey and starring Mohamed
Fahim, Nour Qadri, Ayman El-Shewy, Emad Ismail, and Dalia El-Gendy.
Charlie, which premiered in the Riyadh
season last January, is based on the life and work of Charlie Chaplin
(1889-1977): an inspirational artist who demonstrated on screen and in real
life how to be a universal citizen who believes in the cause of humanity. The
musical is modeled on Chaplin’s cinematic style, in terms of narrative,
perspective, and fluidity of movement.
This year's festival will honor
numerous renowned figures in Egyptian and international theatre. These
include Saudi theatre producer and CEO of the Theatre and Performing Arts
Commission Sultan Al-Bazai; Emirati director Mohamed Al-Aamri; Ugandan
playwright, performer, and producer Asiimwe Deborah GKashugi; Iraqi artist Awad
Ali; as well as British actor, director, and acting coach Giles Foreman.
The 30th edition of the festival will
feature 19 plays from Egypt and around the world.
Eighteen plays, including two from
Egypt, will participate in the festival’s main competition. One more Egyptian
play titled Frida will be performed on the sidelines of the festival.
This year’s CIFET is presided over by
Sameh Mahran, with Mohamed El-Shafei as its general coordinator.
Source: Al
Ahram Online
