19th Egyptian National Theater Festival in Cairo Kicks off

The 19th  Egyptian National Theater Festival officially opened at the Grand Theatre of the Cairo Opera House under the presidency of actor Mohamed Riad, in the presence of Acting Minister of Culture and Minister of Higher Education Dr. Abdel Aziz Konsowa, senior officials, members of parliament, theatre professionals, and a host of Egyptian artists. 

The opening ceremony began with "Safar" (Journey), a theatrical performance directed by Walid Aouni and created through the festival's movement workshop led by Karima Badir. 

Inspired by the festival's official visual identity, the production celebrated Egypt's cultural diversity through choreography, scenography, music and lighting, while reflecting the festival's new vision of extending its reach beyond Cairo to audiences across the country. 

After that, festival director Adel Abdo welcomed attendees, describing it as more than an annual celebration, calling it "the true gathering place for everyone who believes in the message of theatre."

Abdo also praised the support of Dakahlia Governor Tarek Marzouk, whose cooperation enabled the festival to stage activities across Mansoura, marking the first time in the festival's history that an entire edition has expanded outside Cairo into a full Egyptian city.

He revealed that Mansoura hosted 72 cultural events, including artistic workshops, workshops for people with disabilities, panel discussions, theatre readings, masterclasses, tributes to local cultural figures, and three theatrical productions.

Furthermore, Abdo highlighted the scale of participation in this year's edition, revealing that the festival received 126 theatre productions, 216 play scripts, 40 critical essays, and 22 academic research papers. 

The programme also includes 11 artistic workshops in Cairo, 23 seminars, 35 productions in the official competition, and three performances outside the competition, while nearly 20,000 students applied for workshops held in Cairo and Mansoura.

After that, festival president Mohamed Riad described the festival as "the home of Egyptian theatre," stressing that it continues to honour veteran artists while opening doors for younger generations.

"Theatre is not merely a stage, a curtain or lighting," Riad said. "It is the memory of a nation, the conscience of society and the voice of humanity whenever words alone are not enough."

He added that Egypt has long been a cultural beacon in the Arab world, with theatre playing a central role in shaping public awareness, promoting freedom and reinforcing national identity. 

Riad also thanked the Ministry of Culture, the organising committees, participating theatre companies, and audiences, describing spectators as the foundation of Egyptian theatre's continued success.

Next, Acting Minister of Culture Dr. Abdel Aziz Konsowa described creativity as one of Egypt's defining characteristics, extending beyond the arts into every aspect of national development. 

He said the National Festival for Egyptian Theatre reflects the country's commitment to culture as a means of building people and strengthening Egypt's soft power.

"The Egyptian theatre has long been a platform for enlightenment and creativity," Konsowa asserted. "Supporting theatre is an investment in people, in awareness, and in the future."

He also praised Mohamed Riad and the festival's organising team for delivering a successful edition and expanding the event into the governorates.

The opening ceremony featured the presentation of the festival's viewing committee and official jury before honouring seven distinguished figures for their contributions to Egyptian theatre and culture: Esaad Younes, Shahira, Ahmed Abdel Aziz, Ahmed Maher, Director Magdy Mogahid (represented by Hany Kamal), Dr. Hamdy El-Gabry, and Director Ahmed El-Benhaoui.

During the ceremony, Shahira praised Mohamed Riad's leadership, highlighting the decision to take the festival beyond Cairo as one of his greatest achievements. 

She also joked that Riad "wasn't the one who chose to honour me because no one honours their mother-in-law," before revealing she rediscovered that she had performed in 12 stage productions, more than she had remembered.

On his side, acctor Ahmed Maher described the recognition as "long overdue," saying he was among the most prolific theatre actors of his generation and thanking Egypt for giving artists the opportunity to reach such distinguished careers. 

Despite recently undergoing vocal cord surgery, veteran artist Ahmed Abdel Aziz insisted on attending the ceremony, calling the recognition especially meaningful because it came from the theatre community. 

He also urged officials to strengthen school theatre, arguing that closer cooperation between the Ministries of Culture and Education would help produce more aware and culturally enriched generations.

Meanwhile, Esaad Younes dedicated her award to five figures who shaped her theatrical journey, including the late Sayed Radi, Soheir El-Bably, Samir Ghanem, director Samir Al-Asfouri, and Khaled Galal. 

She also called for every theatrical production to be professionally recorded to preserve Egypt's theatrical heritage, noting that this was the first theatre-specific honour of her career.

The festival runs until 11 August, featuring official competition performances, parallel programmes, seminars, workshops and additional tributes celebrating Egypt's theatrical legacy.