THE LAST SUPPER

ORIENT PRODUCTIONS AND THE TEMPLE INDEPENDENT THEATER COMPANY PRESENT

AHMED EL ATTAR’S THEATRE PRODUCTION

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Touring Technical Manager: Camille MauplotTouring Coordinator: Charlotte ClaryTour Structure: Henri-Jules Julien

English Translation: Lara El GibalyFrench Translation: Menha El Batrawi and Charlotte ClaryPhotographer: Mostafa Abdel AttyVideographer: Mostafa NagebGraphic Designer: Sara Mansour

FALAKI THEATRE TEAM:

Falaki Theatre’s Front of House Manager: Heba RifaatFalaki Theatre’s Stage Manager: Ahmed MowafyFalaki Theatre’s Production Assistant: Ibrahim Saber

ORIENT PRODUCTIONS TEAM:

Financial Director: Ahmed NagyPublic Relations Manager: Basma HamedMarketing Manager: Rania El Embaby

Produced By: Orient Productions and the Temple Independent Theatre CompanyCo-producer: Tamasi CollectiveWith the support of Studio Emad Eddin Foundation and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)

CAST (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE):

Mahmoud El Hadad - The ServantMohamed Hatem - The ButlerMarwa Tharwat - The Daughter (Mayoush)Boutros Boutros-Ghali (Pisso) - The FatherAbdel Rahman Nasser - The Son in law (Mido)Ramsi Lehner - The Son (Hassan)Nanda Mohammad - The Daughter in law (Fifi)Mona Soliman - The MaidAhmed Farag - The Grand Son (Seika)Mona Farag - The Grand Daughter (Zouki)Sayed Ragab - The General

CREW:Written and Directed By: Ahmed El AttarMusic: Hassan KhanSet and Costume Design: Hussein BaydounLight Designer: Charlie ÅströmSound Design: Hussein Sami

Production & Stage Manager: Mram Abdel MaqsoudAssistant Light Designer and Operator: Saber El SayedAssistant Set Designer: Ahmed AshmawyAssistant Sound Designer and Operator: Shady MahmoudAssistant Costume Designer: Mohamed El SabakhawyLight Technician: Sayed Nagar

THIS PLAY IS DEDICATED TO MY TWO SONS TEYMOUR AND HUSSEIN EL ATTAR.

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE:

In Ahmed El Attar’s “The Last Supper”, a well off Egyptian family gathers around the dinner table, and through their vapid interactions we are served up a feast of nihilism, absurdity and apathy.

The cast of eleven, representing the thirteen characters of the play, brings to life the stereotypes of the contemporary Egyptian bourgeoisie, each character embodying a self-absorbed philosophy mired in his own preconceptions.

Through its darkly comedic, almost caricaturish take on the life of a typical affluent family, “The Last Supper” highlights the inescapable emptiness that casts its shadow over the illusion of plenty and the hollow exchanges which masquerade as human connection, offering a zesty microcosm of what Egyptian society has become.

The process of creating this piece relied on the independent, but simultaneous development of both script and characters. By envisioning the world of the play, then creating the characters to exist outside the boundaries of that world, the director was able to allow for the organic development of the characters, while still integrating them into the script as it was being written.

The parallel evolution of these two elements - characters and text – enabled the director to both preserve, and resist, the theatricality of the theatre. The fictitious characters are placed within the context of a satirical text, and allowed to interact with it, rather than imposing actors on a pre-written text, or taking the opposite approach of relying on material harvested from improvisational exercises.

This play is a result of this organic, malleable process.

WORD OF THE DIRECTOR

Two topics have been central to my work over the years, one is the family and its internal power structures and the other is the interdependent relationship between master and servant. Both reflect the larger dynamics negotiated within society as well as its hidden perpetual crisis.

While my work is fictional, the absurd streak that runs through it reflects my perception of what I experience by living with people in a society. I believe that what makes audiences recognize and engage with my work, is not an attempt at verisimilitude, it is rather

the realisation of the absurdity of the situations, relationships and conditions that we are all part of on a daily basis.

My work is not meant to present problems or to propose solutions. It is not meant to present a higher truth, a valuable message or an opinion on how the world should or could be.

I like to believe that my work simply depicts what I see, distorted as my perception could be, leaving to the audience the burden of deciding what to do, if anything at all.

CAST:

MAHMOUD EL HADDAD

Mahmoud El Haddad, born in Alexandria in July 1990, currently lives in Cairo, studying law at Cairo University. In 2005, he joined his high school theatre and then went on to join the university’s theatre. In 2012 he took his first steps in contemporary dance and in 2014, he established Hand Made, an independent theater company, and directed its first performance, ‘Incomplete Alliteration’, a physical theatre performance that was performed in several venues in Cairo.

MOHAMED HATEM

Mohamed Hatem is an Egyptian actor and director. After completing a law degree at Cairo University, Hatem went on to study acting and directing at the Academy of Arts. He has participated in several directing and acting programmes, which include the Young Vic Directors Program in London and Ahmed Kamal’s Actors Studio in Cairo. He has worked on stage as an actor and director and has taken part in various independent films and TV series.

MARWA THARWAT

Working as a professional actress since 2008, over the years Marwa has taken part in several theatre productions, including Chicago and El Leis, numerous independent short films and three feature films, among which are Asmaa and X-Large, and a Ramadan television series. She has also participated in various workshops in acting and psychodrama.

BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI (PISSO)

Boutros Boutros-Ghali studied at the Institut des Beaux Arts in Paris and on returning to Egypt he began work with El Warsha Theater group, directed by Hassan El Geretly. With a career in the arts that began in 1974, Boutros-Ghali’s work ranges from theatre plays, to film, to applied arts. His theatre work has been performed in numerous local and international festivals, the most recent in 2013 being ‘Le Prince Séquestré’ , which was shown in D-CAF 2013, Marseille 2000 (France, 2013), and Festival de théâtre de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (Senegal, 2013). His cinema work includes both films and television series such as Al Moussafer (2008) and Moga Harra (2013), and his latest Glass Exhibition in 2012 was presented at the Italian Cultural Centre in Cairo.

ABDEL RAHMAN NASSER

A graduate of a two-year filmmaking diploma from the French University in Egypt, Abd El-Rahman Nasser has directed two short films, ‘Bruises’ and ‘A Conflict’, and was a participant in the 2013 Globalizing Shakespeare Theater Festival at NYU Abu Dhabi, performing in ‘Macbeth’. Other performances include ‘Once Upon A Time, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow’ and ‘Taxi’. He is a member of Ahmed Kamal’s Actor’s Studio and Mohamed Hamdi’s psychodrama workshop. Abdel Rahman is currently working as a junior professor at the Faculty of Art, Department of English Literature at Cairo University, while preparing for his masters degree in drama.

RAMSI LEHNER

Ramsi Lehner holds a degree in visual and performing arts from the American University in Cairo and has toured internationally as an actor with Temple Independent Theatre Company, and is a founding member of the Alumni Community Theater (ACT) at AUC. With experience in both theatre, television and cinema, Ramsi’s works include, “Black Gold” with French renowned director Jean Jacques Annaud, and “Harag wi Marag” by Egyptian director Nadine Khan, which received the jury prize at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2012. His TV credits include ‘El Sab’a Wasaya’ amongst many other performances. Ramsi has also produced music over the last fifteen years, and has two album releases. This is Ramsi’s fourth performance with Ahmed El Attar since the year 2000.

NANDA MOHAMMAD

Graduate of the acting department of the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus, Syrian actress Nanda Mohammad worked in Syria with a large number of Syrian theatre directors, like: Naila Al-Atrash, Amal Omran, Samer Omran, Jihad Saad and Omar Abu Saada, as well as in many Syrian TV series.Nanda Mohammad is regularly casted by regional and international theatre directors, such as Tim Supple (UK), Jean-Michel Pesenti (France), Nullo Facchini (Denmark), Khaled Al-Tarefi (Palestine), Catherine Schaub Abkarian (France), Laila Soliman (Egypt) among others. Nanda also works as a voice and acting trainer and has collaborated on the theatre production Syria-Trojan women where she trained Syrian women refugees in Jordan to participate in the production, which was presented in Amman and Geneva. In 2012, she moved to Egypt but she continues to work with Syrian projects, in addition to acting in various Egyptian performances. She has been working since 2013 as a voice trainer for the actors of the internationally renowned El Warsha Theatre Company.

MONA SOLIMAN

Mona Soliman began her acting career six years ago at her university’s theatre before working with director Tarek El Dowery at El Hanager Theatre. Soliman also has experience in contemporary dance and has participated in several performances, which include ‘Compliance and Anger’, ‘Locusts’, ‘Incomplete Alliteration’, ‘An Takoon Khafefan’ (To Be Light), ‘Sukar Maleh’ (Salty Sugar). She has also taken part in contemporary dance workshops with choreographers Karima Mansour and Ezzat Ismail.

SAYED RAGAB

Sayed Ragab is a critically acclaimed actor, storyteller, and writer. A founding member of El Warsha Theatre Company, he is the only actor in the history of the Cairo International Experimental Theatre Festival to have received the award for best actor twice (1993 and 2007), as well as being awarded best actor for several consecutive years in the Workers’ Theatre Festival. He has also received several other awards for his work in both television and film, including ‘Heat Wave’ and ‘Asia’ respectively. Having begun writing his own stories in 1998, Ragab’s work has been translated into English and Spanish; his adaptation of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was commissioned for a Swedish-Arab production and was shown in Alexandria and Sweden in 2003. Ragab began working with director Ahmed El Attar in 2002 and has since continued to work with him on a regular basis.

MONA FARAG

Mona Farag is a student in her 4th year of primary education. She goes to El Shaheed Abdel Khaleq Nabil school. Mona likes drawing and acting. She takes part in various extra curricular activities which include theatre and arts & crafts. She has a passion for Karate for which she has received several medals and certificates of merit. Mona spends her time studying as well as practicing her various hobbies.

AHMED FARAG

Ahmed Farag is a student in his 1st year of primary education. He goes to El Shaheed Abdel Khaleq Nabil School. Ahmed has participated in several school activities which include drawing and artistic workshops. He has the knack of imitating others.Other activities that interest him include Karate, for which he has won a medal, and watching cartoons.

ABOUT THE TEMPLE INDEPENDENT THEATRE COMPANY:

Founded in 1993 by director Ahmed El Attar, actress Maya El Kalyoubi and producer Ali Belail, the Temple Independent Theatre Company started off by rehearsing in the music room at the American University in Cairo and on a friend’s rooftop in Maadi. Today, the company has established its international recognition by creating new and relevant Egyptian theatre that is sensitive to the contemporary context in both form and content.

During the first three years, the troupe produced three performances, all directed and produced by El Attar. In 1998, ‘The Committee’, El Attar’s first written play, was performed in various venues across Cairo and at the Amman International Theatre Festival, making it the troupe’s first international performance.

‘Life is Beautiful or Waiting for My Uncle From America’ (2000), the company’s first professional production and the first paid job for the company’s members, toured internationally in Amman, Beirut and Berlin. In 2010, El Attar received the prize for best theatre text from the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development.

Starting 2001, El Attar’s work shifted towards devised theatre pieces where the text, usually a collage of non-theatrical, non-fictional, non-literary texts, was considered as an element among many visual and conceptual layers. The company presented ‘On the Road to Nowhere; a Cairene Journey for Tourists and Lovers’ (2001), which took place in a moving bus, was presented in Cairo, Beirut and Lisbon. It was co-written with Waleed Marzouk.

‘Mother I want to be a Millionaire’ (2005), produced and shown by one of the major theatre festivals in Europe, the Berlin Festespiele, marked the company’s style of fast-paced, multimedia performances.

Presented in Jordan, Egypt and Sweden, it is regarded as one of the company’s most ambitious projects to date.

‘About Othello or Who’s Afraid of William Shakespeare’ marked the company’s return to classical pieces since their interpretation of the Oedipus myth in 1996, and incorporated European actors with the Egyptian cast for the first time. This piece along with ‘Mother I want to be a millionaire’, were co-directed by Nevine El Ibiary.

In 2007, ‘F**k Darwin or How I Have Learned to Love Socialism’, was the first piece to be produced abroad, involving actors from Egypt and Montenegro; it took the company towards a new direction of minimalist style. Co-produced by the Montenegrin National Theatre and Kampnagle Theatre in Hamburg, it was performed at the 21st edition of the Cairo International Experimental Theatre Festival – where Sayyed Ragab won the best actor’s award for his role.

‘On the Importance of Being an Arab’ (2009), on the edge between a theatrical performance and a visual arts installation, has been touring all over Europe and the Arab world since its creation in 2009 and was presented at The Tarmac Theatre in Paris in March 2015 and is scheduled to be presented at Bozar in Brussels and Teatro Arena del sole in Bologna in January 2016.

El Attar’s first work for children, ‘Hassan x 2 & the Magic Well’, was presented in Cairo in 2012 using highly visual collage to address issues of fear. El Attar’s latest play, ‘The Last Supper’, marks his return to playwriting, as this is his first fully written text since ‘Life is Beautiful’ in 2000.Apart from Ahmed El Attar and Hassan Khan’s on going collaboration, as of 2000, the Temple’s team also includes Lebanese set designer, Hussien Baydoun, and assistant director, Nevine El Ibiary; joining to 2004 was Swedish light designer, Charlie Astrom.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Ahmed El Attar is an Egyptian independent theatre director, translator, playwright and cultural manager.He is the founder and general manager of Studio Emad Eddin Foundation as well as the founder and artistic director of Orient Productions, the Temple Independent Theatre Company and Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF). He is also the artistic director of Falaki Theatre in Cairo.El Attar has a BA in theatre from the American University in Cairo (1992), an MA in arts and cultural management from Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle (2001); he is a Chevening scholar and Clore Leadership Programme alumni (UK- 2009), a CEC Artslink Fellow (USA – 2013), and is currently part of the National Arts Strategies (NAS) executive directors program (USA).His theatre work includes: ‘Life is Beautiful or Waiting For My Uncle From America’ (2000), ‘Mother I Want to Be A Millionaire’ (2004), ‘F**k Darwin or How I Have Learned to Love Socialism’ (2007),

and ‘On the Importance of Being An Arab’ (2009). His work has been performed in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Sweden, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Holland, France, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, the United Kingdom and the UAE.‘F**K Darwin or How I Have Learned to Love Socialism (2007)’ received the best actor’s award at the 22nd edition of the Cairo International Festival of Experimental Theatre, for the performance by actor and long time collaborator, Sayed Ragab.El Attar was chosen by the Arabic edition of Newsweek (26/4/05) as one of 42 personalities who influence change in the Arab world.In January 2010, El Attar received the prize for best theatre text from the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development for his play ‘Life is Beautiful or Waiting for My Uncle From America’. In 2013 he received the pioneers of Egypt award from Synergos Foundation (USA).

HASSAN KHAN

Hassan Khan (1975) is an artist, musician, and writer. Recent exhibitions include: Hassan Khan, D-CAF, Cairo, 2014; The Unrest of Forms, Secession, Vienna, 2013; Hassan Khan, SALT, Istanbul, 2012; Documenta 13, Kassel, 2012; Intense Proximity, Paris Triennial, 2012; and The Ungovernables, New Museum Triennial, New Museum, New York, 2012. His first solo show was ‘i am a hero / you are a hero’ in 1999 at the Gezira Art Center, Cairo. In 2009 Khan was a member of the jury of the controversial 20th Youth Salon in Cairo, and in 2011 served as president of the jury of the 54th edition of the Venice Biennale. He also regularly performs his own music live; recent appearances include: Maerz Musik Festival, Berlin, 2013; Ghetto, Istanbul, 2013; Auditorium du Louvre, Paris, 2012; Teatro Fondamenta Nuove, Venice, 2012; and as the opening act for the 1st D-CAF Festival, Cairo, 2012. His publications include The Agreement (2011) and Nine Lessons Learned from Sherif El Azma (2009). Khan lives and works in Cairo. Khan has created original music and videos for all of El Attar’s work since 1998.

HUSSEIN BAYDOUN

Hussein Baydoun is a Lebanese artist, art director and set designer. Born in Beirut, with its architectural and urban chaos, Hussein quickly found himself questioning the relationship between the private space and the public space.

Baydoun has collaborated with many theatre artists such as Issam Bou Khaled, Ahmed El Attar and Sawsan Bou Khaled. Since 2005, he’s worked as a set designer on feature films, including ‘Waiting’ by Rashid Masharawi (2008), ‘The Dawn of the World’ by Abbas Fadhel (2011), ‘When I Saw You’ by Anne-Marie Jacir (2012). Recently, he worked with Ghassan Salhab on his latest films, ‘La Valée’ (2013) and ‘Une Histoire de fou’ by Robert Guédiguian (2014).

Baydoun has designed sets and costumes for all of El Attar’s work since 2000.

CHARLIE ÅSTRÖM

Charlie Åström is a light and set designer, director and playwright who has been working in stage art in Sweden and internationally for more than 30 years. He recently received a master’s degree in directing and dramaturgy for modern based performing arts from the Stockholm Art School. He is currently working on his performance ‘Revolution’ at Angereds theatre, while doing work in theatre for deaf children at Tyst Theater, and as a light designer at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. This is Charlie’s fourth collaboration with Ahmed El Attar since the year 2004.

SPECIAL THANKS TO

Nevine El Ibiary, Isabelle Fauvel, Isabelle Seigneur, Amany Abou Zeid, Mohamed Talaat, Farag Hemeda, Iman Abdel Nabi, Abdallah Mohamed, Mohamed Nagui and the American University in Cairo for hosting the performance.

IN THE PRESS

“His best plays are riveting, carry a striking mise en scène, and valiantly tackle issues in Egyptian society in clever, humorous ways. (…) the act of Attar writing and directing a new piece has become a cause célèbre rather than merely a creative process that results in a performance” - MADA MASR, 18 NOVEMBER 2014

“Ahmed El Attar offers a bitter portrayal of the Egyptian economic elite … who, out of a classist instinct, prefer stability to any disorder” - LIBÉRATION, 27 NOVEMBRE 2014

“In a perfect use of discourse and mise en scene, Ahmed El Attar contrasts the exterior parade of wealth and its inner vacuum” - LA FRICHE, BELLE DE MAI, NOVEMBRE 2014

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Duration: 50 min longLanuage: performance in Arabic with English subtitles

PRODUCED BY: WITH THE SUPPORT OF:CO-PRODUCER: