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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 November 1999 Issue No. 455 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 November 1999 Issue No. 455
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Books Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Obituary
A final scene
By Mariz Tadros
The death of Nabil El-Alfi (1926-1999) on Friday at the age of 73 brings to a close one of the most active periods in the history of the National Theatre. According to press accounts, El-Alfi collapsed in the arms of his son, Ahmed, as he strolled in one of the corridors of the Gala'a Military Hospital in Heliopolis.
El-Alfi was born in 1926 in the village of Senhua in the Nile Delta governorate of Sharqiya. He graduated from the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts in 1947 and immediately joined the National Egyptian Troupe for Acting and Music. Two years later he left for France, seeking to improve his acting skills and study stage direction. Upon his return, he joined the Modern Theatre Troupe and also began teaching acting and directing at the Institute of Theatrical Arts.
Nabil El-Alfi's talents as actor were particularly appreciated in the 1950s, when he reached the apex of his fame. But he soon abandoned cinema to devote himself single-mindedly to his passion: the theatre. In 1961, he was appointed as manager of the National Theatre -- the first actor to hold such a post. Between 1966-67 he was dean of the Institute of Theatrical Arts, and later held a series of managerial positions in various theatres and institutes.
El-Alfi directed more than 120 plays, including Tawfik El-Hakim's Isis , The Devil's Tears, The Sultan's Game and Tango. His last play was the Devil's Toy. In 1960 he published In the World of the Theatre, an insight into his personal experiences as a director and teacher. He received many awards, both national and international. In 1989 he was presented with the State Merit Award and in 1990 President Hosni Mubarak awarded him the Order of Arts, first class. His managerial and artistic talents were recognised not only in Egypt. Many Arab countries, including Sudan, Syria, Libya, Qatar and Iraq, appointed him to various positions in theatres and theatre institutes.
He was also the first Egyptian to hold the position of vice- president of the International Theatre Association and to serve as a professor at the International Institute of Theatrical Arts.
By the mid-1980s, El-Alfi had virtually given up the theatre and was highly critical of the prevailing commercialism.
He believed that directors and producers were overly concerned with the box office "though they were supposed to have one eye on the box office and look at art with the other", he said in a newspaper interview in the mid-1980s. He never lost his sense of humour and wit, however.
In the same interview he was asked when he would return to the theatre? "When the traffic improves," he retorted.
His last years, however, were marred by ill-health. El-Alfi suffered from Alzheimer's disease as well as diabetes and heart complications. His medical expenses proved overwhelming and during the last decade his friends appealed to the government on his behalf. Former Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri finally allocated funds for his treatment, but they were close to running out when El-Alfi passed away.
Such public appeals may not have lent great dignity to El-Alfi's final years. His name and achievements however, will live on.
