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Al-Ahram Weekly

Body, Teeth & Wig and Carmen lead 18th Egyptian National Theatre Festival awards - Stage & Street - Arts & Culture

The 18th edition of the Egyptian National Theatre Festival closed last week, announcing the winners. The standout performances of this edition were Body, Teeth & Wig and Carmen. The festival, which launched on 20 July, announced its winners during a grand celebration held at the Cairo Opera House's main hall on 6 August. This year's official competition featured 35 theatrical productions, representing a variety of troupes operating under the Ministry of Culture, alongside independent teams. Among the most celebrated works was Body, Teeth & Wig, directed by Mazen El-Gharabawy, who took home the Best Director award. The production also garnered the Best Emerging Actress award (shared by Nagham Saleh), a shared Best Music award (Mahmoud Ezz), and Best Orchestral Arrangement (Magdy El-Foly). Written and directed by El-Gharabawy, the play premiered in South Korea in August 2024, was later staged in India, and then performed in Egypt for two nights before returning to the Egyptian National Theatre Festival. Another highlight was Carmen, directed by Nasser Abdel Moneim, which won Best Choreography (Sally Ahmed), Best Leading Actress (Reem Ahmed), and Best Scenography (Ahmed Sherby). The latter award was shared with Mohamed Talaat for his work on To Be Sent To. Also noteworthy was The Brothers Karamazov, which claimed Best Supporting Actress (Alaa Ali), Best Emerging Actress (Nelly El Sharkawy), and Best Emerging Actor (Amir Abdel Wahid). The Best Emerging Actor prize was shared with Saeed Salman for his role in The Beast, which also earned the jury's award for Best Makeup (Nadine Ashraf). The Good Boys received Best Supporting Actor (Rahman Mostafa), shared with Mohamed El Shahed for his performance in The Waterwheel Drivers. The latter also won Best Dramaturgy (Mohamed Adel El-Naggar). Mohamed Ayman was named Best Emerging Director for The Good Boys. Mohamed Nasser won Best Leading Actor for his role in The Last Supper. Other awards included Best Playwright for Mahmoud Gamal El-Haddiny for Right Then First Left, and Best Emerging Playwright for Mohamed Adel El-Naggar for Better Than Seeing the Sun. The Best Scenography award was jointly given to Mohamed Talaat (To Be Sent To) and Ahmed Sherby (Carmen). Best Costume Design went to Rahma Omar for Marilyn, Best Lighting Design to Mahmoud El-Husseiny for The Trial of Mr Arthur Miller, and Best Poetry/Lyrics in Theatre to Ahmed Zeidan for Chatter. The shared Best Music award also went to Ziad Hegres for Chatter. Best Theatre Promotion (Marketing/Poster) was awarded to Youssef Saqr for Summoning a Guardian. The festival concluded by honouring Hawadit, directed by Khaled Galal, with the Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Performance. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link: