The current ninth edition of the Cairo International Monodrama Festival is betting on a rich program of performances, seminars, and workshops presented by a number of Egyptian and foreign theater artists, including Italian acting coach Paolo Avatani, who performed an artistic segment on stage that received wide interaction from the audience during the opening ceremony held Monday at the open-air theater of the Cairo Opera House. The festival is organized under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture.

The opening ceremony honored Arab and international figures, including the late artist Farouk El-Fishawy, in recognition of his rich artistic career. In addition to his extensive film and television work, he had a theatrical activity from his artistic beginnings until his death, including plays such as 'Bidaya wa Nihaya', 'El Nas Elly Fi El Talt', and 'El Princess'.

His two sons, Ahmed and Omar Farouk El-Fishawy, received the award. They went up on stage together, with Omar thanking the festival management, while Ahmed jokingly said to his brother: 'I've been wondering a lot about how Omar and I will split this award.'

Ahmed and Omar El-Fishawy at the opening ceremony (Festival Management)

The festival also honored artist Mimi Gamal, whose absence due to emergency circumstances was announced by the festival president. The artist had attended the press conference held days before the festival, where she said that it was 'a great honor to be honored at this festival for her artistic career,' expressing pride in her artistic history and all the theatrical performances she presented with major stars and theater directors.

Mimi Gamal has presented theatrical works that enriched Egyptian theater, including: 'Number 2 Wins', 'The Emotional Singer', 'Who Am I Among Them', and 'Al Qashash'.

The opening ceremony of the Cairo International Monodrama Festival began with a documentary film documenting the festival's journey over its previous editions. The festival's president and founder, Dr. Osama Raouf, said in his speech that 'the festival continues its mission of bringing together theater artists from all over the world under the umbrella of creativity and cultural dialogue. The ninth edition represents a new milestone in its journey, in which we are betting on important performances, events, and artistic workshops.'

Artist Mimi Gamal attended the press conference but missed the honoring ceremony (Festival Management)

Monodrama performances rely on a single actor who narrates the event and may portray multiple characters within the text, requiring high performance skills to convey the show's message. The festival competition includes performances from several Arab and foreign countries, including Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia, Albania, and Australia.

The opening ceremony also honored the great theater director Samir El-Asfouri. His two daughters, Mona and director Taghreed El-Asfouri, and his two grandsons received the award. El-Asfouri has a long history of successful classical and artistic works such as 'Isis in Paris', 'The Tragedy of Al-Hallaj', 'El Ayyal Kibert', and 'Indeed, a Respectable Family'.

On the Arab level, the festival honored the Dibba Association for Culture and Arts in the Emirate of Fujairah, UAE, in appreciation of its role in supporting the Arab theater movement and enhancing cultural and artistic cooperation among Arab theater artists. On the international level, Albanian artist Justina Aliaj was honored, receiving her award in celebration of her rich theatrical career. The festival screened a short film about the journey of each honoree.

The opening ceremony was attended by a notable number of Egyptian, Arab, and international theater artists, including artist Sami Maghawry and artist Sama Ibrahim.

Albanian actress Justina Aliaj receives her award (Festival Management)

The festival's competition this edition includes a number of Arab and international performances, held at the Al-Ghad Theater in Cairo. The competition jury includes Sudanese director and actor Ali Mahdi, one of the most prominent figures of Sudanese theater, alongside Italian acting coach Paolo Avatani, and Dr. Abeer Mansour, head of the Theater Department at the Faculty of Arts.

Two Egyptian performances are participating in the competition: 'Sama' produced by Al-Hanager Theater, written by Sonia Bumad, directed by Ayman Mustafa, starring Marwa Abdel Moneim; and 'Sudden Death' written by Hani Mehran, directed by Adham Safwat, starring Asim Turk, produced by the Academy of Arts.

The ninth edition of the festival includes several workshops and artistic events, including a masterclass by Italian artist Paolo Avatani under the title 'Introduction to Visual Comedy', a workshop by artist Hossam Dagher under the title 'The Meaning of Acting... When a Single Actor Represents Humanity', and a workshop by artist Amr Abdel Aziz titled 'Comedy Between Monologue, Monodrama, and Storytelling'. The festival also holds a competition among Arab playwrights in the field of monodrama, and a competition for school theater.

'Sama' one of the Egyptian performances at the festival (Festival Management)

According to theater critic Mohamed Bahgat, monodrama is considered the most difficult type of theater in terms of writing, acting, and directing. He explained in remarks to 'Asharq Al-Awsat' that it relies on a single actor who fills the theatrical space throughout the performance, emphasizing that 'writing it is more difficult and requires a skilled author and great storyteller, as the text is written from the perspective of a single character who takes on different roles, which is difficult in writing and acting.'