The National Festival for Egyptian Theatre is organizing its sixteenth edition, named after the artist Adel Imam, from July 29 to August 14, featuring 37 performances. Actor Mohamed Riyad, the festival's president, stated at a press conference, "This edition bears the name of Adel Imam; we are not honoring him, but we are celebrating him. We celebrate him together as theatrical artists, and all of Egypt celebrates him."
The participating performances represent independent theatre troupes, the private sector, state theatres, university theatres, union groups, and civil society. The shows are held for free at various venues including Al-Salam Theatre, Al-Ghad Theatre, Al-Talia Theatre, Al-Baloun Theatre, Al-‘Arous Theatre, Miami Theatre, Creative Arts Center, Al-Hanager Theatre, Al-Samer Theatre, the National Theatre, and the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts Theatre.
The judging panel is chaired by artist Ashraf Abdul Ghafoor and includes actors Magdy Kamel and Nader Salah El-Din, critic Georges Shoukri, musician Tarek Mahran, set designer Mohamed El-Gharbawi, and Professor Sahar Mahmoud Helmi from the Academy of Arts.
In addition to the theatrical performances, the festival will hold a competition for original playwriting featuring 186 scripts, as well as a critique essay competition, alongside training workshops in delivery, acting, directing, scenography, and theatre management. This year, the festival will honor seven actors: Salah Abdallah, Riyad El-Khouly, Khaled El-Sawy, Ahmed Fouad Selim, Mohamed Mahmoud, Mohamed Abou Dawood, Rushdy El-Shami, and Sami Abdel Halim, in addition to set designer Noha Barada and writer Mohamed El-Sayed Eid.
