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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]
4 clusters · 4 sources · 21 days · First seen · Last updated
Categories: CULTURE
Egyptian National Theatre Festival 2026
Entities: Dakahlia Governorate · Mansoura · Abdelaziz Qansowa · Mohamed Riyadh · Khaled Galal
Overview
The 19th edition of Egypt’s National Theatre Festival opened on 25 July at the Grand Theatre of the Egyptian Opera House under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture. The ceremony, hosted by Riham Ibrahim, featured the inaugural performance “Safar” (Travel), designed and directed by Walid Auni, and honoured veteran actor Ahmed Maher. In his acceptance speech Maher thanked festival president Mohamed Riyadh, noted that the recognition arrived late but meant a great deal, and recalled a recent celebrated performance in Tunisia.
Following the opening, the festival shifted much of its programme to the provinces, launching a tour centred on Dakahlia Governorate and the city of Mansoura. Over a week, 72 cultural activities—including performances, seminars and workshops for people with disabilities—were held. Eleven specialised workshops covered acting, directing, scenography, play‑writing, composition and production, aiming to discover and train young talent. Productions such as “Metro Girl”, “130 Pieces” and “Hawadit” emerged from these workshops.
A free online ticketing system using QR codes was introduced, allowing audiences to reserve seats at midnight on the day of each show. The competition jury, chaired by director Khaled Galal, includes Dr Ahlam Younis, actress Aida Fahmi, engineer Amr Abdullah Sharif, director Mohamed Zaki, musician Mahmoud Talaat, critic Ahmed Abdel‑Razek Abu Alaa and coordinator Mahmoud Hassan.
The festival will continue until 11 August, featuring additional workshops, seminars, a research forum on audience engagement, and tribute events for prominent Egyptian theatre figures.
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Mohamed Riyadh serves as president of the Egyptian National Theatre Festival’s 19th edition (All three articles)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The 19th edition includes a tour to Dakahlia Governorate with events in Mansoura (Articles 1 and 2)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The festival aims to discover and train young theatre talent across Egyptian provinces, moving beyond Cairo (Articles 1 and 2)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The festival organized 11 specialized workshops covering acting, directing, scenography, playwriting, composition, reading and production (Article 1)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The opening ceremony featured the performance “Safar” designed and directed by Walid Aouni, from a movement‑expression workshop led by Karima Badir (Article 2)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The festival programmed 72 diverse activities including workshops, master‑classes, performances and honored local cultural figures (Article 2)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A free online ticket booking system allows audiences to reserve seats at midnight on the day of each show via QR code (Article 3)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The official competition jury is chaired by director Khaled Galal and includes Dr. Ahlam Younis, Aida Fahmi, Eng. Amr Abdullah Sharif, Mohamed Zaki, Mahmoud Talaat, Ahmed Abdel‑Razek Abu Alaa, with co (Article 3)
Timeline
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about 21 hours ago
[CULTURE] 3 sourcesEgypt's National Theatre Festival expands to provinces with workshops and new productionsEgypt’s 19th National Theatre Festival, headed by Mohamed Riyadh, toured Dakahlia with 72 events, 11 workshops, new productions and a free online ticket system, while a jury led by Khaled Galal judges the shows
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3 days ago
[CULTURE] 3 sourcesEgyptian National Theatre Festival Honors Ahmed Maher at Opening of 19th EditionThe Egyptian National Theatre Festival opened its 19th edition on 25 July 2026, honoring actor Ahmed Maher and debuting the “Travel” performance that celebrates Egypt’s regions.
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8 days ago
[CULTURE] 3 sourcesEgyptian National Theatre Festival 19th Edition Reveals Participant Line‑up and Opening ProgramEgypt’s National Theatre Festival’s 19th edition announced 34 productions, three fringe shows and a July 25 opening ceremony, plus a research forum on theatre‑audience relations.
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21 days ago
[CULTURE] 2 sourcesEgyptian National Theatre Festival opens 19th edition in MansouraEgypt's National Theatre Festival launched its 19th edition in Mansoura, featuring workshops, master‑classes, inclusive events and performances, with awards for leading theatre figures.
Sources
elaosboa.com · elbalad.news · elzmannews.com · vetogate.com
This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history