The history of egyptian theatre

 

The idea of theater started a long time ago, during the Pharaonic era. They introduced theatrical arts and we can see it in the inscriptions near their tombs. The word "theater" comes from the Greek word "Theatron," which means a place to watch. The Greeks built theaters in the shape of semicircular amphitheaters on the slopes of hills. That's why we can say that the Greeks are the foundation of theater. They built on what they found in the Pharaonic era to create scientific foundations for theater. Theater passed through different eras, including the Renaissance, where artists used Greek foundations and added their own theories and ideas to improve their art. This era is called the flourishing of theater, where they took advantage of previous eras and developed them to fit with cultural and technological advancements in modern times. They also used new methods and techniques to make theater even better.

Theater started because of religious ceremonies, and it's a combination of many arts and crafts. The success and influence of theater depend on how well all these arts are integrated. The craftsmanship of theater is based on what the audience sees and hears, and how it's transformed from a written text into a collective work. The Egyptian Theater had a renaissance in the 1960s and 1970s, but it's been deteriorating in recent years because of the country's situation.

The idea of theater started a long time ago during the Pharaonic era. They created theater arts and we can see it in the inscriptions near their tombs. The word 'theater' comes from the Greek word 'Theatron', which means a place for watching. The Greeks built theaters in the shape of semicircular amphitheaters on hills. This is where theater began, and it was based on what they learned from the Pharaonic era. The Greeks improved and developed this art, and it's like our theaters today. Theater passed through different eras, like the Renaissance, where artists took advantage of Greek foundations and added new ideas to their art. The modern era, also called the flourishing of theater, used what came before and improved it to fit with the cultural and technological development of today. 

Theater started as part of religious ceremonies in all civilizations. Theater is a combination of many arts and crafts, and its success depends on how well all these arts are integrated. The craftsmanship of theater is based on turning written texts into a collective work that includes everything that the audience sees and hears. In ancient Egypt, there was a theater renaissance in the 1960s and 1970s, but it has been declining in recent years due to the country's situation.

The journey of theater in the Arab world started in the middle of the nineteenth century. Maroun al-NIQASH was one of the first people to introduce theater to Arabic literature by translating some plays into Arabic and acting them out, such as "The Miser" by Moliere and "The Envious and The Good." Salim al-NIQASH also translated some plays, including "Andromakha" and "Mitrdat," both in Syria. In Egypt, Yacoub sanoun, also known as "Babou nedara," created the first Arab theater in Egypt in 1867. He presented around 30 plays, ranging from single scenes to tragedies based on translated French novels. He attacked Khedive Ismail and wrote about poverty in Egypt during that time. Theater activity began during this period, followed by plays based on Arab history. The operetta was popular during this era, and its band consisted of only 10 boys. In some works, one of his heroes wore women's clothes. At the beginning of his career, he explained what each show was about to help the audience understand what he was offering them. 

Sanoun presented three comedy plays: "The Modern Girl," "The Two Damages," and "Ghandoura Egypt" in front of Khedive Ismail and his entourage at the Nile Palace, which impressed Khedive Ismail so much that he called him "Moliere" of Egypt because he presented similar works to those presented by Moliere. Khedive allowed him to create a national theater and presented his many plays to the audience. When he presented "Homeland and Freedom," corruption at the palace angered Khedive Ismail, who ordered the closure of his theater and exiled Sanoun to France until his death.

Musical theater became popular in the early twentieth century and was called operetta after George White returned from France in 1910. He moved from drama to singing and dancing performances due to their popularity among contemporary artists such as Salama Hijazi and Sayed Darwish. However, drama theater began to impose itself on the scene in the 1920s with Youssef Wehby's joining the list of theater pioneers. He presented successful plays in Cairo and Alexandria at that time that were being competed by pioneers of Comedy Theater such as Najib Al-Rihani and Ali al-Kassar who were able to present a number of comedy shows from their own authorship without quotation).

BY MOHAMED HOSSAM