Opening of the National Festival for Theater.. Esaad Younes dedicates her honor to Samir Ghanem and Suhair Al-Babli

SadaNews - The 19th edition of the Egyptian National Theater Festival commenced on Friday evening, chaired by artist Mohamed Riyad and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, at the Grand Theater of the Egyptian Opera House, and will continue until August 11.

The opening ceremony honored a number of artists who contributed to enriching the Egyptian theatrical movement and left prominent marks on its history, in appreciation of their artistic careers and contributions in this field.

Esad Younes dedicates her honor to her journey companions

During the opening ceremony, the festival administration honored artist Esaad Younes, who dedicated the honor to several artists who had a significant impact on her career, primarily Suhair Al-Babli and Samir Ghanem. She stated, "Without them, I wouldn’t be standing before you today."

She also expressed her gratitude to director Sayyed Radi, emphasizing that he was the first to give her the opportunity to perform on stage when he assigned her a role in one of the productions alongside a select group of Egypt's top theater stars.

Additionally, she expressed her appreciation for director Samir Al-Asfoury, stating that he taught her 95% of what she knows about performing on stage. She also thanked director Khaled Galal, describing him as a "creative artist," pointing out that he enabled her return to the stage and directed one of her theatrical works.

At the end of her speech, Esaad Younes expressed her regret over the loss of many theatrical productions that were not documented on video, asserting that those works now only remain as memories. She called for not allowing any complete theatrical show to be presented without being filmed and documented, in order to preserve the theatrical heritage for future generations.

After vocal cord surgery.. Ahmed Abdel Aziz receives his honor

Despite undergoing recent vocal cord surgery, actor Ahmed Abdel Aziz made a point to attend the festival's opening ceremony to receive his honor, and the effects of the surgery were evident in his voice during his speech.

Abdel Aziz explained that doctors advised him not to speak or attend any events during this time, but he preferred to respond to the festival's invitation, affirming that his connection to theater was the motivation behind his attendance despite his health condition.

He noted that he has received many honors throughout his artistic career, but this particular honor holds a special significance for him because it comes from the theater, which he described as his "first home." He added that he grew up within its walls, and his artistic beginnings were on its stage, where he presented some of his early works at the start of his career.

A joke from Shahira during her honor

As for the retired artist Shahira, who was honored by the festival, she expressed her happiness with this recognition, affirming that it brought back her memories of theater, pointing out that she discovered her theatrical repertoire consists of 12 works, even though she thought she had only performed five or six plays.

She added a touch of humor to her speech, confirming that artist Mohamed Riyad, as the festival president, was not the one who decided to honor her, saying: "No one honors their mother-in-law," before thanking the festival's high committee for selecting her among the honorees.

She also praised the efforts exerted during the current edition, considering what has been accomplished reflects management with a clear vision, indicating that moving some of the festival's activities to the provinces represents an important step towards spreading theatrical culture and reaching a wider audience.

Artist Ahmed Maher.. a long-awaited honor

As for artist Ahmed Maher, he affirmed that this honor holds great value for him, even though it came after many years of his artistic career, expressing his happiness with this recognition.

He pointed out that he is one of the most present figures of his generation on stage, in terms of the number of works he has presented, congratulating the festival administration for its efforts in supporting the theatrical movement, and he saluted Egypt, affirming that it has been instrumental in providing him and his generation the opportunity to reach this level.

"Safar".. a visual opening for the new edition

The ceremony opened with a performance titled "Safar," which featured an artistic vision crafted and directed by artist Walid Aouni, with the participation of the members of the kinetic expression workshop affiliated with the festival, supervised by Karima Bdeir. The performance expressed the identity and message of the current edition by presenting a visual vision that embodies the festival’s direction towards broadening its activities and reaching theater audiences across the various governorates of the Republic.

The festival continues with its activities until August 11, with an agenda that combines the participating performances in the official competition and the parallel program, alongside a series of intellectual seminars, critical sessions, and training workshops. It also features a program to honor some symbols of Egyptian theater, in appreciation of their contributions to enriching the theatrical movement.

Source: Al-Jazeera