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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 28 January 1999 Issue No. 413 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 28 January 1999 Issue No. 413
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Focus Economy Opinion Culture Features Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Playing at the Fair
By Nehad Selaiha
Over the years, Samir Sarhan, the head of GEBO, has transformed its annual International Book Fair from a book market and an annual meeting for publishers into one of the liveliest and most invigorating cultural events in Egypt and the Arab world. Predictably, since Sarhan is also a playwright and professor of drama, theatre features prominently among the many cultural activities of the Fair, and the number, quality, and diversity of the performances on offer usually make them a great point of attraction for visitors.As in previous years, the productions hosted by the '99 Book Fair represent a wide range of artistic modes, imaginative directions ideological orientations, and systems of work. They include some of the best experimental work done in '98 -- like Al-Warsha's Spinning Lives, Al-Tali'a's Kohl Pillow, Al-Hanager's Island of the Bald, and Al-Ghad Theatre's Moments of Love and War; good specimens from the regional and amateur theatre; the premieres of Nikos Kazanatzakis's Christ Recrucified (collectively adapted for the stage and performed by the Atelier Free Theatre Group) and of Tarek Sa'id's Diamond Fragments (based on short stories by Chekov and poems by Salah Jahin and sponsored by the Cultural Development Fund) and, for the first time, an experimental modern dance piece (Shhh by Mohamed Shafiq, a member of the Opera's Modern Dance Theatre Company), and a tri-lingual play -- Ahmad El-Attar's Al-Lajnah. For the more traditionally inclined, there is The Lover of the Mawwal, a National Theatre operetta based on the popular ballad which narrates the tragic love-story of Hassan and Na'ima, and a double bill of realistic drama from Al-Tali'a called Face to Face. The two one-act plays -- The Prisoner and the Jailer by Mohamed Enani, and The Strange Visitor by Samir Sarhan -- belong to the tradition of the well-made play as refined by Ibsen, and are joined by the theme of the doppelganger.
This year, the guest performances are distributed among three spaces: The Theatre and Cinema Pavillion; German Pavilion B and Al-Warsha Tent. The appended programme is provided for those who would like to enjoy some theatrical entertainment while at the Fair. And do not worry if your friend or partner does not share your passion for theatre and prefers cinema. One good thing about the Fair this year is that theatre lovers and movie fans can join each other everyday at the Theatre and Cinema Pavillion at 15.00 where, starting 27 January, seven of the movies made by the celebrated homme de theatre Youssef Wahbi will be shown alternately with seven screen adaptations of works by Tawfiq El-Hakim, the pioneer of modern Egyptian drama. The films, I am told, will be followed by public discussions with guest speakers -- three at least. This makes the starting time of the live performances scheduled as 18.00 quite unrealistic and I do not expect them to begin before 19.00. So be warned.
Theatre programme
27 Jan, 6pm, Theatre & Cinema Pavilion, The lover of the Mawwal based on the ballad of Hassan and Na'ima, dir Taha Abdel-Qadir;
28 Jan, 6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Al-Saher wal Hasnaa (Beauty and the Wizard), dir Hassan Abu Hadid;
7 pm, German Pavilion B, Al-Lajnah (The Committee), dir Ahmed El-Attar;
29 Jan, 6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Majlis Al-Adl (The Board of Justice) dir Abbas Ahmed;
7pm, Al-Warsha Tent, Ghazl El-A'maar (Spinning Lives), dir Hassan El-Greitly;
30 Jan, 6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Al-Hulm Al-Ajeeb (The Strange Dream), dir Hassan Abul-Hadid;
7pm, Al-Warsha Tent, Ghazl El-A'maar (Spinning Lives), dir Hassan El-Greitly;
31 Jan, 5pm, German Pavilion B, Christ Recrucified, dir The Atelier Group;
6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Kalam fi Al-Mamnou (Forbidden Talk);
7pm, Al-Warsha Tent, Ghazl El-A'maar (Spinning Lives), dir Hassan El-Greitly;
1 Feb, 5pm, German Pavilion B, Gezirat Al-Qur' (Island of the Bald), dir Rami Imam;
6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Zulmat Al-Embrator (The Emperor's Inequity), dir collective;
7pm, Al-Warsha Tent, Ghazl El-A'maar (Spinning Lives), dir Hassan El-Greitly;
2 Feb, 6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Barr Inbaba [sic], dir Ahmed Taha;
7pm, German Pavilion B, Gezirat Al-Qur' (Island of the Bald), dir Rami Imam;
7pm, Al-Warsha Tent, Ghazl El-A'maar (Spinning Lives), dir Hassan El-Greitly;
3 Feb, 6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Hilm Youssef (Joseph's Dream) dir Nabil Galal;
4 Feb, 6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Majlis Al-Uzama' (Council of the Great), dir Medhat Abdel-Aziz;
5 Feb, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Madinat Al-Ahlam (Dream City), dir Isam Ramadan;
6 Feb, 6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Lahazat Al-Hub wal-Harb (Moments of Love and War), dir Khalid Galal;
7 Feb, 5pm, German Pavilion B, Fatafeet Al-Mass (Diamond Fragments), dir Tareq Said;
6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Mikhadat Al-Kohl (Kohl Pillow, dir Intisar Abdel-Fattah;
8 Feb, 5pm, German Pavilion B, Fatafeet Al-Mass (Diamond Fragments);
6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Waghan Li Wagh (Face to Face), dir Gamal Mansour;
9 Feb, 6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Ilah Israel (The God of Israel) dir collective;
7pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Qulu li Ain Al-Shams (Tell the Eye of the Sun) dir Ahmed Abdel-Meguid;
10 Feb, 5pm, German Pavilion B, Sukout (Shhh), dir Ahmed Shafiq;
6pm, Theatre and Cinema Pavilion, Watan min Al-Safeeh (A Tin Homeland) dir Ahmed Attiya and Walid Fawzi;
7pm, German Pavilion B, Buqbuq Al-Kaslan (Lazy Buqbuq), dir Walid Fawzi
