Through her Egyptian National Project of Theater of the Oppressed, widely lauded performer, writer and theater director Nora Amin is staking a claim for theater as more than entertainment. Rather, she makes it a common space in which to address and creatively resolve conflicts, including those closest to home, such as domestic violence and religious extremism.
To meet people “on their own ground”, performances are staged not in theaters but in libraries, schoolyards, and sports clubs. First established in Alexandria, its initial teacher-training workshops blossomed into an ongoing dialogue parallel with the popular revolution filling the streets; scenes are populated with familiar characters such as a citizen and informer, and a Christian and his Salafi neighbor.
With troupes of trained theater activists now brainstorming in 14 provinces, Amin’s is continuing to expand its pioneering role. Founded in 2011 as Egypt’s first national theater project, it has now expanded, thanks to a grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, into an Arab network, with a sister project launched in Lebanon this August, and in Morocco June.
For more info – Nora’s website