Under the slogan of “I want theater,” Stand-up Comedian Ali Qandil has called for allocating one of the state’s abandoned theaters to the youth.
On his Facebook page, Qandil addressed President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi saying: “A call to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. I want to be in charge of any of the government’s abandoned theaters in Cairo for three years.”
He vowed that, along with his theater group, can renovate the theater, perform respectful shows and bring money to government.
Qandil also proposed using these theaters to carry out festivals by universities and independent theater groups as well as the talent shows, concerts, book signings and arts workshops.
Around 1,000 Facebook users are following Qandil’s campaign so far, and he has also gathered support in the theater community. “Culture is a right for every citizen and theater is a main element to spread the culture, but mass culture theaters are closed all the time,” said Ahmed al-Sayyed, head of Opera Malak theater, said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
