Aiming to support youth who seek a platform to highlight their talents, the 16th festival of amateur theatre kicked off on Saturday, according to a press release published by the Ministry of Culture’s official Facebook page. Lasting for five days, the festival opens the door for young, unknown people to introduce their talents to audiences through several theatre performances, all written and performed by them.
Organised by the Public Administration for Culture Associations, and headed by artist Ahmed Maher, the festival combines amateur artists from all ages to work together in order to present artistic performances that tackle social issues that inflict younger generations.
The opening show was a young girl who performed a play titled “The Little Girl”, in which she featured the lives of children in Egypt, with their hopes and dreams. Most of the performers experienced standing in front of a live audience for the first time, yet performances were met with praise for being professional.
Eight theatre plays for bands from Egypt’s different governorates to perform on the Giza Cultural Centre’s stage.
In his opening speech, Ashraf Aamer, the head of the General Organisation For Culture Palaces, asserted that amateur theatre is dedicated to support the Egyptian theatre movement, and providing it with young talents to improve it.
For his part, actor Ahmed Maher commended the talented participating groups, calling them the “Egyptian theatre’s future key staff”. He also stated that from the performance he had seen, “Hoping For A Better Theatre”, expressed what he feels.
The opening ceremony also honoured the late artist Karima Mokhtar for enriching Egyptian cinema through her career. The award was given to her son Sherif El-Demerdash.
