“What do we need to do to have a better Egypt?” |
Three short-listed scripts performed at Art Fest
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Three playwrights competed for first prize at the performing and visual arts department’s (PVA) Arts Fest on May 10 at the American University in Cairo (AUC). The winner, which had not been announced at press time, received a gift certificate from the AUC bookstore.
The Arts Fest, which celebrates the emerging talents at AUC in art, film, music and theatre, took place on the Falaki campus from 10.am-9 p.m.
“I think it is a wonderful opportunity for young playwrights [to] develop their creative and expressionistic voice,” said Elissa Stankiewicz, adjunct theatre professor at AUC.
The short-listed scripts were Because of the Cheese, by biology major Maha Khalil; Azar, by theatre major Nermine Amer and Syringa Vulgaris, by theatre major Dahlia Abou-Azama.
“This is a nice chance for me to share something,” said Khalil, who won last year’s competition. “The best part is working on [the script], rehearsing it and changing it all the time [because] in the process you learn a lot about writing.”
Khalil’s 15-minute play is a black comedy about a poor, suicidal Egyptian standing on the edge of a bridge and his emotional journey to the point where he decides not to jump.
“[The message] is to show how terrible the situation is [in Egypt] and how desperate and frustrated people are, but they should not give up or stop trying,” said Khalil.
Requiring little movement and costumes, a staged reading allows the actors to literally read the script in their hands, without being expected to know the lines. It is simply not fully developed, explained Stankiewicz, adding that the playwrights get the chance to hear their script read by actors and to see how to improve it.
The playwrights also can also talk with the audience and get their feedback, reaction and comments in order to improve their scripts.
“The playwrights’ festival has been introduced to instill an interest in playwriting among AUC students,” said Frank Bradley, associate professor of theatre. “Students whose plays are accepted for presentation are given a cast of actors, space to rehearse and about two to three weeks of time to continue to develop their plays, with the benefit of hearing their words spoken.”
The script selection committee included Bradley; Mahmoud El Lozy, a theatre professor at AUC, and Laila Soliman, an AUC theatre alumna. The scripts were given back to the playwrights before the spring break with comments and suggestions so they could re-write and improve them, explained Stankiewicz.
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