This New Theatre Project Is Celebrating Egyptian Women's Voices

Egypt's theatrical productions have been going through a revival of sorts in recent years, but it’s not every day that a play’s Facebook event pops up on our screens and lures us enough to give up our comfy recliners to actually attend. In the name of women’s empowerment, the Show Goes On Theater Project will be performing not one, but three plays all written and directed by women starting the 13^th of October till the 22^nd of October at AUC's Falaki Theater in Downtown Cairo – and they have managed to tempt us into buying our tickets already.

The Show Goes On Theater Project uses theater as a tool to discuss women’s place in society as well as to publicly express support for better opportunities for women and girls. The project will be showing three performances each one exploring a specific issue on topics that directly impact women. Two American artists, NYC-based director Eliza Simpson and Director of the Mother Line International Initiative Amanda A. Lederer, will be joining one of the performances.

The first play, Untangled, is based on experiences whipped into a social comedy written and co-produced by Egyptian feminist, women’s rights advocate, researcher, and storyteller Sally Zohney. The play was brilliantly received during a sold-out run at Hossapeer, Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cairo University in 2016. 

The second play in the impressive line-up, 45, is a roller-coaster, multimedia monodrama told that inspects the role of the media in how society views women in Egypt today. The main character, Amal, questions all her forty-five years of life decisions as she wakes up in a hospital bed while media commentary clips play commenting on her condition.

The final production, Mother Line Story Project, features Egyptian independent company Sabeel along with American Performers tell stories from the point of view of the direct maternal female ancestors of the performers that convey values, insight and often untold tales of women.

Refreshing and entirely out-of-the-box, the Women’s Voices Theater Project Show Goes On brings us insight into the female psyche while spreading awareness about the difficulties women face in societies both in Egypt and globally. These productions will surely leave a larger impact on audience more than any book or lecture were ever capable of leaving.

Call up your friends, show them the Show Goes On Facebook page, and book your tickets for the following dates:

13, 14, 15^th of October: Untangled

16, 17, 18^th October: 45

20, 21, 22^nd October: Mother Line Story Project

Follow 7aleldafayer, the first play on Instagram here.