The 12^th Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) 

(17 October-10 November)

The Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), the largest international contemporary arts festival in the Arab region, is celebrating its 12th edition this year. Presented by 124 artists from 21 countries, the festival will present 26 diverse performances, including performing arts, new media arts, music, and special events. It will feature contemporary art performances, discussions, and visual art exhibitions characterized by creative ideas, technological innovation, and interactive experiences with the audience. Additionally, there will be nine workshops covering various fields. This year's festival will also include the "Cairo Calling" programme, hosting 13 directors and choreographers from the Arab region and Arab expatriates. Moreover, a training programme supported by the MBC Academy in Saudi Arabia, in partnership with Wasla for Arts, will offer training for 10 emerging cultural managers in festival management.

Falaki Theatre

AUC Tahrir Campus, 24 Falaki St, Downtown, Cairo, Tel 012 88721446

Light (Jordan) is a theatrical performance that presents a storyteller who shares the tale of Laila–trapped in a dark library, hiding from the sunlight. Laila, in turn, tells stories to her audience of chairs, tables, and windows, in an attempt to survive. The storyteller becomes increasingly immersed in Laila's narrative and merges with the protagonist, making it impossible to distinguish between them. The performance asks how can we escape the whirlpool of depression? How can stories serve as a lifeline? This work was built collaboratively, with the script developed during rehearsals, focusing on embodying different forms of depression and the inner struggles within the storyteller, who narrates Laila's tale through shadow play, dance, singing, puppetry, and poetry. There will be a talk with the artists following the performance 

(8 November, 7pm, Arabic with English subtitles). 

Al-Rehani Theatre

17 Emad Al Deen St, Oraby, Al Azbakeya, Downtown, Tel, 02 25913697/ 02 2589210

Khetta Al Mesaleya (The Perfect Plan) play is about Luca and his wife, who plan to rob Jimmy and Kimmy's house after devising an elaborate plan to enter the house while the husband is traveling and the wife is at her mother's house, but they discover that the spouses are betraying each other. The events of the play continue while they are all in the same house (8 November, 8pm). 

Studio Nasibian At El Nahda Jesuit Cairo

15 El Mahrany St, Al Fagalah, Al Azbakeya, Cairo 

Dressing Room (France/Palestine) is a play directed and written

by Bissane Al-Charif and Hala Omran, with dramaturgy by Wael Ali, and video design by Ghazi Frini, Its about wrinkles and politics;

the wrinkles on women’s bodies that are shaped by time and crises, and brutal and violent political transformations. Dressing Room follows the search and discovery of a magic recipe that overcomes the ‘age of despair’. The actress takes her time to prepare the recipe on stage as

the play addresses questions of time, ageing and memory–through the experiences of women from Arab countries who have lived on both sides of the Mediterranean. Al-Charif is Palestinian multidisciplinary artist

based in Paris. She studied architecture at the University of

Damascus as well as scenography at the Nantes School of

Architecture in 2006. Over the course of her career, she has

worked as a set, costume, and video designer for numerous

performances. Dressing Room marks her directorial debut in theatre.

Omran is an actress and singer; she was awarded Best Actress twice at

both the Journées Théâtrales de Carthage and the Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre. There will be a talk with the artists following the first night of the performance 

(8 and 9 November, 8pm, Arabic with English and French subtitles). 

Kodak Corner Shop

Downtown, Cairo

Created and performed by Lara Kobeissi , XR Development and Creative Technology by Pete Roobol, Music and Sound Design by Sarmad Louis, Creative production by Thomas Buckley, 

Nazar is a multi-sensory 1:1 live performance incorporating

virtual reality (VR). This part-memoir part-immersive archive

invites audiences inside a digital reconstruction of the creator’s childhood home. They go on an intimate journey that follows the complexities of her relationship with her mother across three decades marked by regional conflicts and her eventual migration. Nazar unfolds as experiential poetry within evil eye protection sessions, shared in their

relationship and communicated primarily through touch. Embodied experiences prompt audiences to consider these inherited practices and their virtual extensions not only as methodologies of care but as ritualistic acts of soft resistance. Nazar culminates in a magical choreography of the senses, complete with audio-recordings of surveillance drones, motion-capture of unarchived gestures and chants

that seal a covenant between a people and their land, moon, clouds, stars and vines (7 to 10 November, 7-10pm). 

Rawabet Art Space

5 Hussien El-Meaamar St. ext. of Mahmoud Bassiouny St, from Talaat Harb Square, Downtown

I Woke Up a Sweaty Human is an audio-visual performance directed and performed by Dalia Khalife, Technology and motion capture by Mark Hamilton, Set design by Dalia Khalife, Sound design by Zaid Sajdi.  Khalife moves against a backdrop with a life-size sweaty avatar of herself. It raises questions about the boundaries between human bodies

and digital representations, particularly focusing on themes of sweat and fluidity. The performance ties into Khalife’s research on sweat as a socio-political and paradoxical condition, in relation to Lebanon’s economic crisis. It also touches on concepts from hydro feminism, such as porosity, micro-climates and leakages. English and Arabic with subtitles (7 November, 7pm). 

I Fell in Love is an interactive documentary theatre performance, directed, written and performed by Ossama Helmy - OzOz , with set design by Ossama Helmy, Light Design by Sameh Fawzy, with Dramaturgy by Abdel-Rehim Youssef. It blends storytelling, musical

listening, readings, and exploration of the life and era of Sayyid Darwish. OzOz is a multi-disciplinary Egyptian artist and audio collector. Previously a singer, he is a theatre actor and storyteller. He studied anthropology and works in interactive education using the art of origami. OzOz established the Audioz Archive, which includes a wide and diverse collection of music, archival materials, and home recordings with analog playback devices–all available to artists and researchers. Using these collections, OzOz creates a unique and interactive artistic

experience that ranges from arts and performance lectures to exhibitions and podcasts. There will be a talk with the artists following the first night of the performance. Arabic with English subtitles 

(9 and 10 November, 8pm). 

The Warehouse

5 Hussein Basha Al Meamari, Maarouf, Qasr El Nile 

Of All The People In All The World play by internationally acclaimed Stan’s Cafe theatre company directed by James Yarker. Directed by James Yarker, performed by James Yarker, Craig Stephens, Islam Fouad, Mai Abdel-Latif, and Mohamed Anwar. Of All The People In All The World uses grains of rice to powerfully bring abstract statistics to life. Throughout the performance, a team on stage carefully weighs out quantities of rice to symbolize various human statistics, arranging them into labelled piles that form a dynamic and evolving landscape. With each grain of rice representing an individual, audience members are invited to reflect on how the single grain that represents them, compares to the millions that do not. The statistics and their juxtapositions are moving, shocking, celebratory, witty and thought provoking (6 to 10 November, weekdays 5pm-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm, free entrance).

The Cairo Puppet Theatre
Next to the Al-Attaba Metro Station, Tel 02 2591 0954
Zat and the Red Dress children play is written Walid Kamal and directed by Nadia El-Shweikh 

(Performances run on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 8pm).

The Floating Theatre

Abdel-Aziz Al-Saoud St, in front of Salaheddin Mosque, Al Manial, Tel 02 2368 4047, 012 8531 1358/ 0100 5233623

Main Theatre

Maraya Electra (Electra's Mirrors) play is produced by The Youth Theatre, written by Metwali Hamed and directed by Ayman Mustafa  

(Performances run on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 10pm).

Small Theatre

Alsemsemiya play is performed by a group of the theatre budding actors, music composed by Haitham Darwish, decor and costumes designed by Samah Nabil, written and directed by Said Soliman,  

(Performances run on Thursdays and Fridays, 9pm).

Al-Ghad (Tomorrow) Theatre

Next to Balloon Theatre, Al-Agouza, Tel 02 3304 3187

Alnoqta Alamia (The Blind Spot) play, directed by Ahmed Fouad, is based on a text by the famous Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt, and produced by the Al-Ghad Theatre company, led by the artist Sameh Megahed, and under the supervision of director Khaled Galal. It casts 

The Blind Spot starring Nour Mahmoud, and it is his first theatrical experience, and it casts Ahmed Al-Salakawi, Ahmed Othman, Hossam Fayyad, Heidi Barakat, and Omar Salah El-Din. The events of the play revolve around a malfunction in the car of Adam, played by Nour Mahmoud, during a severe storm, forcing him to take refuge in the nearest house, to find inside it three law professors playing a strange game called the court, and the elements of the game are completed in his presence. He finds himself involved in the grip of the court trying to find a way to get out of this game (Performances run daily, 8.30pm).

Grand Nile Tower

Corniche Al-Nil, Garden City, Tel 16826

Mimo play starring comedian Ahmed Helmy, Asmaa Galal, Hamdy El-Merghany, Rahma Farrag, written by Diaa Mohamed and directed by Hisham Atwa (7, 8 and 14, 9pm). 

The International Park

Madinet Nasr District

Candy Crush children play is performed by Al-Shams (The Sun) Theatre Company for those with special abilities written by Said Haggag and directed by Mohamed Metwaly (Performances run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 7pm).

Malak Opera Theatre

9 A Khalig Al-Khour St, Azbekiya district, Ramses, Tel 0122 3417152  

Qabl Alkhoroug (before the exit) play starring Sherehan Qotb, Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, Lamiaa Gaafar, is written by Mohamed Zenaty, directed by Hany El-Sayed, with music composed by Mohamed Qabil, decor and costumes designed by Mohamed Hashem 

(Performances run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 8pm).

Miami Theatre

Talaat Harb St, next to Miami Cinema, Downtown, Tel 02 2574 5651 

Ala'yal Fahmet (the children understood) play is an adaptation of Sound of the Music musical, produced by the Comedy Theatre and directed by Shady Sorour  

(Performances run on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 9pm).

Metropol (The Children’s National) Theatre

6 Halim St, the beginning of 26th July, Attaba, Downtown, Tel 02 2593 3334

Alhelm Halawa (The Dream is Halawa) play for children is written by Yasser Aboul-Anein, and directed by Maye Mohab

(Performances run on Thursdays and Fridays, 7.30pm).

Al-Qawmi (The National) Theatre

Al Attaba Square, in front of Attab Post Office, Cairo, Tel, 02 25917783

Mish Romeo wa Juliet (Not Romeo and Juliet) play is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet casting singer Ali El-Haggar, actress Rania Farid Shawqi, poetry by poet Amin Haddad, and directed by Essam El-Sayyed  

(Performances run daily except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9pm and Sundays, 7pm).

Al-Salam Theatre

101 Qasr Al-Aini St, Tel 02 2795 2484/2794 3016/010 21521501  

Youm Assem Gedan play is produced by the Comedy Theatre Company starring Mustafa Mansour, Haidy Refaat, Sherehan El-Shazli, and many more. Décor by Mohamed Fathy, lightening by Ezz Helmy, written by Ayman El-Nemr and directed by Amr Hassaan (Performances run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9pm).

Aageeb wa Aageeba musical theatrical performance is produced by the Modern Theatre Company starring Sayyed El-Roumy, Doaa Ramadan, Ihab Bakir, Reda Tolba, and many more. Décor by Sarah Shoukry, lightening by Abu-Bakr El-Sherif, costumes designed by Samah Nabil, music composed by Mahmoud Wahid, choreography by Ahmed Samir, written by Said Haggag and directed by Mohamed El-Soghair (Performances run daily except Tuesdays, 9.30pm).  

Youssef Idrees Hall

Casino play starring Kareem El-Husseiny, Nawal Samir, Shady Asaad, Mohamed Diab, Nesma Adel is produced by the Modern Theatre Company. Décor by Mohamed Abdel-Hamid, lightening by Ezz Helmy, costumes designed by Maha Abdel-Rahman, music composed by Hazem El-Kafrawy, choreography by Hassan Shehata, written by Ayman El-Nemr and directed by Amr Hassaan 

(Performances run daily except Tuesdays, 9pm).

Khetat Cupid (cupid’s plan) play casts actors Abdel-Moneim Riyad, Kareem El-Hosseiny, Nawal Samir, and many more. Décor by Ahmed Amin, lighting by Abu Bakr El-Sherif, music by Tamer Abdel-Meguid, written by Abdallah El-Shaaer, and directed by Ahmed Fouad (Performances run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 7pm).

Taliaa Theatre

Attaba Square, Tel 02 2593 7948

Salah Abdel-Sabour Hall

Laabet Alnahaya (Endgame) is an absurdist, tragicomic one-act play by Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, produced by Taliaa Theatre. 

Starring Mahmoud Zaki and Lamiaa Gaafar, décor by Ahmed Gamal, costumes designed by Maha Abdel-Rahman, prepared and directed by Alsaid Qabil (Performances run daily except Tuesdays, 9.30pm).

Zaki Tolaimat Hall

Opera Alataba (Alataba Opera) play is casting Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, Doaa Hamza, décor by Omar Ghayat, costumes          designed by Maye Kamal, written and directed by Hany Afifi    (Performances run on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 7pm). 

ALEXANDRIA

Lycee El Horreya Theatre

Qism Bab Sharqi, Alexandria, Tel 03 5913794 

Hazem Hassem Gedan (Hazem is very strict) play is written by Walid Youssef and directed by Mohamed Moursi  

(Performances run on Thursdays and Fridays, 8pm).

An Adventure in the Mythical City children play is produced by Alexandria Theatre Company, written by Ayman Feteha and directed by Monica Joseph

(Performances run on Saturdays and Sundays, 8pm).

* A version of this article appears in print in the 7 November, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly