(Photo: fragment for the festival's poster)
The "Season of the University Theatre's Stars" festival in its second edition launches Sunday and will run until 17 February, with daily performances by students of different theatre faculties. Ten troupes will compete for the festival's main awards.
Held at the remises of El-Ibdaa (The Creativity Centre), the festival's jury consists of actors Ezzat El-Alayli and Mohamed Riyadh, stylist Marwa Ouda, scenographer Amr Abdallah and theatre critic Abla El-Roweini.
The first edition of the festival took place in July 2014 as an initiative of director Khaled Galal, also head of the Creativity Centre and responsible for the cultural production sector within the Ministry of Culture.
"The university theatre has played an important role in the history of theatre in Egypt. Several big names who performed in university plays have made it to the limelight, among them well known actors such as Adel Imam, Salah El-Saadani and Maged El-Kedwany," Galal told Ahram Online.
Galal revealed that before studying at Cairo's Theatre Academy, he was a student of commerce at Cairo University.
"It is at the university that I first fell in love with theatre. This is also where I had the opportunity to meet several great directors who worked with students. Unfortunately, over the years, the university theatre has lost its lustre," Galal said.
As part of an initiative aiming at reviving university theatre, Galal offers opportunities to study in the Actor's Studio he manages at the Creativity Centre. While most applicants are required to pass entry tests, the festival's best talents will be admitted directly.
On the sidelines of the festival two training workshops are offered to participants, led by the Egyptian director and actor Ahmed Mokhtar and his Syrian counterpart Gehad Saad.
All performances take place at 9pm, except for the opening and closing ceremonies that begin at 7pm
Programme:
Sunday, 7 February
Festival opening (7pm)
Performance: Orpheus
Monday, 8 February
Performance: Nehayet El-Leeba (End of Game).
Tuesday, 9 February
Performance: El-Ahd Al-Mafqoud.
Wednesday, 10 February
Performance: Monhana Khatar (Dangerous Turn)
Thursday, 11 February
Performance: Hom Hamlet
Friday, 12 February
Performance: Pygmalion
Saturday, 13 February
Rashomon
Sunday, 14 February
Performance: El-Aabda
Monday, 15 February
Performance: Nozha fi ard El-Maaraka (A Stroll Around the Battlefield)
Tuesday 16 February
Performance: Fassila ala Tariq Al-Moot (A Family on the Road to Death)
Wednesday 17 February
Closing of the festival and awards ceremony
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