Egyptian National Theatre to Finally Reopen

Theatre goers can finally rejoice as the Egyptian Nation Theatre (Al-Masrah Al-Qawmi) is finally set to reopen after being partially burnt six years ago.

On Monday, the Ministry of Culture announced that Egyptian National Theatre is set to reopen after undergoing a massive renovation. Established in 1921 and located in the heart of Downtown, the Egyptian National Theatre stood as the cornerstone of Egypt's cultural scene before being set ablaze in 2008.

Even its architecture held significant importance in Cairo as it reflected the Islamic era of architecture. The estimated cost of the renovations hovers around 55 million EGP ($7.7million). However, reconstruction was largely hindered by the political turmoil that brought Egypt to a halt.

At the press conference Minister of Culture Gaber Asfour announced that "the final date to reopen the National Theatre is during the celebrations of the October 6 War next month." Also worth noting at the press conference was that students would be granted 50 percent discounts on ticket fees to all the performances, in hopes of inspiring a younger generation into attending classical and contemporary theatre.

On opening night the theatre will be relaunching with a play starring, none other than Egyptian acting legend Nour El-Sherif, in the role of Refaa El-Tahtawy, an Egyptian icon who led an educational and cultural renaissance.