In the final pages of The Coffeehouse (قشتمور Qushtumur, 1988), Naguib Mahfouz describes the past as a place to escape to:
"Whenever the news torments us, we delight in scurrying into the past to pluck its missing fruit. We do this despite of our awareness of its deception and lies, knowing how the past is crammed with flaws and pains. Yet we are unable to resist enjoying this rich resource, filled with mirage and magic"
(Naguib Mahfouz, The Coffeehouse (قشتمور Qushtumur, 1988) trans. Raymond Stock 2010. AUC Press Cairo, pg. 117.)
Creative experimentation thrives on similar feelings of magic, but holds promises for the future. Whatever the outcome, experiments inevitably enrich the pasts-to-come.
I am honoured to have been invited by the Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre to join the panel of international and Egyptian directors and practitioners reviewing new work, with a special interest in theatre innovation and technologies. The work is from around the Middle East (Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocca, Syria, and Tunisia, ), North and South America (USA, Canada, and Mexico) and Europe (Austria, Greece and Italy), and will be presented over 8 days.
The theme of the 'intellectual hub' of the festival is 'Theatrical Experimentation and Technological Development', taking a lead from the experimental theatre director, the late Peter Brook.
I'll be presenting a paper on 3rd September, which is published by the conference alongside several articles by other academics from the region. I'll be talking about the new project discussed in this Blog and website:
Participatory Theatre In Virtual Spaces Using Clowning And Puppetry.
And I'm looking forward to trying out some Arabic, which I have been learning online with Fatema Shokr. Here is the first of four videos I'll be posting.
So I'll be experimenting myself. And I'm working, as always, with Kurt Zarnio. We will play with language, so look out for some mishaps! Kurt has accompanied me on intercultural projects before, and he's about to travel again. Hope he doesn't put his big foot in it!
In 1986/7 I spent a gap year teaching English in Egypt. I thought I was doing charity work but I ended up with some of the more well-to-do children of El-Mansoura's middle class. As volunteers we did 'rough it', but only because at the age of 19 we didn't have a clue how to look after ourselves. There was a large expat community living in Zamalek the island on the Nile in Cairo, and by the end of the year I joined them.
Now, amazingly, I'm going back. CIFET 2022 takes place around the Opera House in Zamalek and other venues in the city. It looks fantastic and there'll be lots to share with you, I'm sure.