Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit to Suez Canal projects in Ismailia governorate (Photo: Egyptian Presidentiaal Spokesperson Facebook page)
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are set to attend on Monday evening a theatrical performance titled Turn Yourself In at the Cairo Opera house, as part of the crown prince's official three days visit to the country.
Sallem Nafsak (Turn Yourself In) is a 2017 Egyptian play directed by Khaled Galal and staged by the students of the Actor’s Studio, which Galal manages.
The play consists of a series of sketches, giving all 27 participating actors an opportunity to showcase their skills in different roles.
During the two-hour event, performers will sarcastically highlight negative behaviors in contemporary society and give hope for a better future in a way that invokes turbulent emotions and reactions from the audience.
In early 2018, Saudi Arabia said construction will soon begin on the kingdom's first opera house.
Until recently, musical concerts concerts have been banned in the country for two decades, along with music in restaurants and stores.
The kingdom has been alleviating restrictions on entertainment and art as part of a wider effort to boost the economy and increase household spending domestically.
Egypt's first opera house was built in 1869 in the center of Cairo near the Azbakeya district.
After the original was destroyed by fire in 1971, the Cairo Opera House was rebuilt and reopened in the southern area of Cairo's Gezira Island in 1988.
Bin Salman arrived in Cairo on Sunday for his first official visit to Egypt as part of his first foreign tour since assuming the position of crown prince in June 2017. He was received by President El-Sisi at Cairo airport.
Shortly after the reception ceremony, President El-Sisi and bin Salman held a bilateral summit at the Ittihadeya Presidential Palace in Cairo and oversaw the inking of a number of deals, including the launch of a Saudi-Egyptian investment fund between the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Egyptian Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation.
On Monday, El-Sisi accompanied bin Salman on an inspection tour of several national projects at the Suez Canal, highlighting work completed during the Egyptian leader's four-year tenure.
After his visit to Egypt, bin Salman will head to the United Kingdom on 7 March and to the United States on 19 March.
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