The performing arts in Egypt and the region are struggling, but theatre is especially facing a major crisis. New texts being written are stuck in theatre trends from the ‘80s, and thus their quality is very low without any development in thought or format. Therefore, the theatre that we see on governmental stages is obsolete, commercial plays are unimaginative, and the independent sector’s performing arts is largely made up of dance rather than theatre. We aim to tackle this by increasing the region’s literacy in contemporary theatre, as a way to inspire and showcase the different formats that theatre can take on.
The Theatre in Translation: Contemporary European Theatre in Arabic project aims, over the period of 3 years, to translate 18 contemporary European dramas into Arabic, each from a different European country.
The project requires for the play to be written after 2010, and to have been published in its origin country or produced on the stage. We choose plays that have a limited number of performers, since there are several economic challenges in the Arab world in regards to large-scale productions.
The chosen texts will be translated and published in groups of 6 on the website to guarantee their dissemination to the largest number of people across the Arab world. Electronic distribution is a necessary tool in a region fraught with conflict and economic obstacles challenging the exchange of books and cultural products in general.
Through this project and increasing exposure of these texts, we aim to enable Arab playwrights to develop their creative process for the performing arts, and to give birth to a new wave of writing which can challenge and compete with global texts.
Orient for Film and Theatre Productions is a production company based in Cairo. Founded in 2007, its mission is to develop quality projects in the fields of arts, culture, and entertainment with the involvement of practitioners from Egypt, the Arab world, and beyond. Since its inception, Orient Productions has produced and hosted numerous events showcasing innovative works in these different fields.
Orient Productions encompasses a number of art spaces and projects. Oldest among them is The Temple Independent Theater Company, which has been presenting the artistic work of Egyptian director and playwright Ahmed El Attar to local and international audiences since 1993. Orient also oversees Studio Emad Eddin, a one-of-its-kind initiative providing rehearsal spaces as well as workshops and training programs to independent Egyptian performing artists since 2005.
The two latest additions to the group are Maktabi Creative Office spaces, which provides private offices in the heart of Downtown Cairo for creatives in need of a long-term workspace; and Rawabet Art Space. This emblematic venue, Cairo’s first and oldest independent performance space, was renovated by Orient Productions and revamped into a multipurpose, multidisciplinary art space, and reopened its doors in September 2021.
Most recently, Orient Productions has undertaken the Theatre in Translation – Contemporary European Theatre in Arabic project, which aims to translate eighteen contemporary European dramas into Arabic over a period of three years. The texts, which have all been written from 2010 onwards, will be published both in print and online to allow their dissemination to the widest possible audience across the Arab world.
Orient Productions also provides a variety of services to artists and cultural practitioners including marketing, PR, production, stage management and front of house coordination. Orient Productions takes pride in handling a project’s complete journey from conceptualization to completion with an unremitting attention to detail that ensures high quality, successful events.
Since 2012, Orient Productions has been organizing the annual Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), the largest international, multidisciplinary arts festival in Egypt.
