As part of the school theater revival initiative launched by the Egyptian education ministry to resume cultural, artistic, and sports activities in schools in order to discover and sponsor talents, the first theater show dubbed “You Can” was inaugurated on Saturday, at the Cairo Opera House.
The show saw the participation of many stars including Yousra, Carole Samaha, Hanan Metaweh, Mohamed Farag, Asmaa Abulyazeid, the “Black Theama” band and the Rouh AlSharq Choir, as well as seven talented students selected out of 2,000 applicants. The show was composed by Dr. Medhat El Adl and directed by Batoul Arafa.
The “You Can” play shed lights on the ancient and modern Egyptian history, and recalls inspiring figures and models in many fields to teach the younger ones that they can do the same.
The show starts with the dream of seven children followed by the appearance of figures that tell them about models who affected people’s lives in different generations.
The stars partook with their real characters. “Why do you want to become football players? Or doctors? Money is not everything,” Yousra told the little ones, while Mohamed Farag spoke to the children about the achievements of Ancient Egyptians in all fields.
The show used visual effects and holograms to simulate figures including football star Mohammed Salah who called the children to strive and not to waste their time on social media. Also, among the simulated figures were Dr. Ahmed Zewail and Dr. Magdi Yacoub who explained the importance of education.
In her keynote speech, Dr. Nevine Youssef el-Kilani, minister of culture, lauded the messages addressed by the show such as fighting bullying, celebrating models, and promoting patriotism and pride of Egypt and its esteemed civilization.
Reda Hegazy, minister of education, said “the aim of the school theater revival is to prompt schools to provide education without indoctrination,” confirming that schools will dedicate days for cultural and sports activities to discover and nurture talents.”
Dr. Medhat El Adl said the idea of reviving school theater thrilled him and reminded him of the theater and music classes that were an integral part of his education as a kid, noting that such activities protect the young students from extremism.
“I was really excited with the idea, and suggested to introduce lectures about culture and art in schools because those are Egypt’s real soft power. Artists are the conscience of the society, and we wanted to present an overview of the history and present of Egypt by showcasing inspiring figures in a simple way that students can understand,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The show will run for two days at the opera house, and will be recorded and displayed in all schools. Director Batoul Arafa said her work with Dr. Medhat El Adl was like a workshop.
“We wanted to tell the students stories of success from different eras of our history. The partaking students showed passion for knowledge. When Carole Samaha brought her daughter with her in one rehearsal, she loved the show,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat, noting that holograms and graphics required several months of work.
Arafa also praised the partaking stars who never showed reluctance despite their busy schedules before the month of Ramadan, and mostly Yousra, who showed up in every rehearsal and had a great time with the children despite her hectic days.
