The Start Your Dream (Ebdaa Helmak in Arabic) is a comprehensive training programme designed to help young people interested in acting and theatre to develop their skills and explore opportunities in this field.
Through a series of workshops, participants will deepen their knowledge of various aspects of performing arts, including acting, directing, scenography, lighting, costume design, playwriting and music for theater.
The project also aims to modernize theatrical operations and align them with contemporary social norms to inspire young talents and qualify them for theatrical groups affiliated with the General Authority for Culture Palaces.
It is organised by the General Authority for Culture Palaces headed by Hisham Atwa and executed under the auspices of Egypt's Ministry of Culture.
The Start Your Dream project takes place in several governorates across Egypt and each workshop series is specifically tailored to the community it addresses. The training programme lasts for several months and culminates with a final performance at a cultural palace.
The workshops are open to individuals of all ages, and everyone is eligible to apply.
People interested in participating in the workshops in Arish, must submit applications no later than 25 May. The screening of applicants will take place on 26 and 27 May.
To learn more check the General Authority for Culture Palaces' website, while the applications can be retrieved from the Arish Cultural Centre.
Details for the application process in Minya and Menoufiya have yet to be announced.
Theatre education across Egyptian governorates
The Start Your Dream project was originally a brainchild of Adel Hassaan, who launched it in 2018. At the time, Hassaan was the director of the Youth Theatre in Cairo where the workshop was taking place.
Since 2018, the initiative has attracted a large number of young people. Among the first achievements of the Youth Theatre’s acting workshops was the play Beit Al-Ashbah (The Ghost House), performed by young actors in 2019. The play was written and directed by Mahmoud Gamal Hedindi.
During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the initiative was moved online under the culture ministry's YouTube channel. Viewers were able to attend online workshops that consisted of short lectures covering a variety of theatre issues with the aim of developing young talents interested in exploring the field.
In mid-2021, Start Your Dream introduced cinema-related activities. The film segment is based on organising educational camps whereas the participants can view films and attend lectures by cinema specialists.
In February 2021, Hassaan left the Youth Theatre to take the directorship of Al-Taliaa Theatre (Avant-Garde Theatre). The Youth Theatre got a new director, Sameh Bassiouny, and the workshops continued across the governorates. Numerous theatre specialists shared their expertise and trained the students during the workshop, presenting topics on acting, drama, scenography and singing, among other components of performing arts.
Until date, the workshops have trained students from a number of Egypt's governorates, such as Beni Suef, Kafr El-Sheikh, Port Said, Giza, Aswan, Fayoum and Sharqiya.
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