Official celebration of the artist Samiha Ayoub

The 17th session of the Egyptian National Theater Celebration began on Tuesday evening, amidst an official and public celebration of the artist Samiha Ayoub, whose name the session bears in honor of her long career that spans more than 7 decades.

 “Choosing the name of the Lady of Arab Theater, Samiha Ayoub, to be associated with the 17th session of the celebration is a celebration of a career full of creativity and influence, a career that contributed to shaping the conscience of generations of artists, an artistic icon, and a woman with a flowing giving.” Minister of Culture Ahmed Fouad Hano said at the opening ceremony.

The celebration honored 10 Egyptian theater artists and makers at the opening ceremony, which was held on the Grand Theater of the Egyptian Opera House, including actor Ahmed Bedier, actress Salwa Mohamed Ali, author Ahmed El-Ebiary, choreographer Atef Awad, and critic Nagwa Anous.

 The official competition of the celebration includes 33 shows by groups representing the state theater, independent theater, university theater, and art institutes, while 3 other plays are shown outside the competition.

The shows are distributed across 15 theaters and halls across Cairo, including the National Theater, Al-Salam Theater, Al-Talia Theater, Al-Samar Theater, Floating Theater, Al-Hussaber Theater, Miami Theater, Al-Hanager Center for Arts, and the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts.

The celebration program, which continues until August 17, includes 6 training workshops in writing, acting, recitation, directing, and scenography, in addition to a symposium entitled “Egyptian Women and Performing Arts” with the organization of a competition for theatrical writing, another for critical essays, and theoretical studies.

 “We meet again carrying many dreams and ambitions for this festival in particular, and Egyptian theater in general, and we seek for the celebration to be a forum for discussion and a meeting of theater schools of all spectrums, through watching the shows and attending intellectual seminars and theater workshops in all their specializations.” Actor Mohamed Riad, the celebration’s president, said.