The Spring Festival continues this week, along with films, music performances and several exhibition openings in Cairo and Alexandria. Ahram Online brings you recommendations for the week's best cultural events Sunday 4 May Clarinet and piano recital at Cairo Opera House at 8pm Clarinetist Mohamed Hamdy and pianist David Hales will perform works by Alban Berg, Olvi Messian, Francis Poulenc and Johann Brahms. Small Hall, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek, Cairo Gotcha Play at Greek Campus at 8pm Directed by Ahmed El-Alfy, Gotcha explores the Egyptian education system through the story of a young schoolboy who takes three teachers hostage, turning the tables on them by shifting the power structure and humiliating them as they do the students. This is El-Alfy Theatre Company's first performance in Egypt after several shows in London. The play is adapted into Arabic and the Egyptian context from a British play by Barrie Keeffe. The play will be performed on several nights this week and next week. American University in Cairo, Greek Campus, Mohamed Mahmoud Street, Downtown, Cairo Last days of ‘Painter on a Study Trip' by Mahmoud Khaled at Gypusm Gallery In his solo show 'Painter on a Study Trip,' Alexandria-based contemporary artist Mahmoud Khaled presents works in photography, sculpture, painting, text, video and installation. The collection was triggered by Khaled's encounter with a 19th century painting from the collection of Alexandria's Museum of Fine Arts. The piece yielded a series of questions and reflections by the artist on the relationship between his education as a painter at the Academy of Fine Arts in Alexandria and the language of contemporary art. The exhibition runs until 6 May. 5a Bahgat Ali Street, Zamalek, Cairo ## Monday 5 May 'Eradicating': Experimental performance at Gerhart Theatre at 5pm Directed by student Marwa Benhalim and under the supervision of visual artist and instructor Shady El-Noshokaty, ‘Eradicating' explores chaos and questioning the foundations of structures and how different structures combine and interact. The performance is part of ‘Hydrogen' senior exhibition at the university which opens on 7 May. American University in Cairo, New Campus, New Cairo Wonderbox performance at Egyptian Centre for International Cultural Cooperation at 7pm Mahatat for Contemporary Art's latest project, The Wonderbox, brings together nine artists across different disciplines to revive the traditional storytelling device ‘Sondouq El-Donia' to a contemporary way. The project kicked off 25 April taking the box of visuals accompanied by live music and storytelling, to several neighbourhoods and will continue to do so until 11 May. See video of the making below. 11 Shagaret El-Dor Street, Zamalek, Cairo Cairo Opera House Quartet to perform at 8pm Cairo Opera House Quartet will be joined by flutist Ines Abdel Dayem in performance of repertoire that will include Mozart's Flute Quartet in D Major K 285, Shostakovich's String Quartet No 8, Op 110, and Astor Piazzolla's "Winter" from "The Seasons." The latter composition will be an arrangement for flute and string quintet, and the quartet will be joined by a double-bassist Karim Wassef.The Cairo Opera House Quartet was founded in 1991 by Osman El-Mahdy, who is also the ensemble's first violin. The ensemble includes Yasser Ghoneim on violin, Essam Abdel Hamid on viola, and Mohamed Salah on cello. Small Hall, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek, Cairo Honouring Nelson Mandela, film screening, at Rawabet Theatre at 8pm Rawabet Theatre will host a special night to honour Nelson Mandela. The evening will include screening of the 2013 biographical film ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.' The film will be screened in English with Arabic subtitles. The event is part of Culture Resource's Spring Festival. Check the Spring Festival complete programme here. Rawabet Theatre, 2 Hussein El-Meamar Street, off Mahmoud Bassiouni Street, beside the Townhouse Gallery Also on this day: -Gotcha Play at Greek Campus at 8pm (See Sunday, 4 May for details) Tuesday 6 May Opening of ‘A Guest Without A Host Is A Ghost': Collective show at Beirut at 7pm 'A Guest Without A Host Is A Ghost' is a year-long visual arts project that brings 30 artworks from the Kadist Art Foundation (Paris, San Francisco) to Egypt. Described by Beirut as a "temporary guest to the city," this miniature collection will appear in various shows and events across Cairo. An exhibition spread out across three venues, the Contemporary Image Collective (CIC), Townhouse and Beirut will kick off the project on 6 and 7 May, featuring works by artists with international acclaim, some of them making their Egyptian debuts. Exhibition opens 6 May at Beirut and 7 May at the Contemporary Image Collective and Townhouse Gallery, until 18 June. 11 Road 12, Mahmoud Sedky, off Shaheen Street, Agouza, Cairo Opening of ‘Green' digital installation by Ahmed El-Shaer at Artellewa at 7pm Playing on the colour green's association with digital life, this installation is based on the deliberately corrupted digital code of the Atari game. The artist transforms the visual and sound effects of the original game and its code for this piece. The installation will be on display until Sunday, 18 May between 5pm and 10pm. 19 Mohamed Ali Eleseary Street, Ard El Lewa, Giza Mawawil at Makan at 8pm Every Tuesday, Mawawil features vocalists Hend and Sara in a repertoire of traditional music of the Nile Delta, Al-Jaafra music played by Arab tribes from Aswan and Nass Makan band. Watch a fragment of Mawawil below 1 Saad Zaghloul Street, Al-Mounira, Cairo Also on this day: - Gotcha Play at Greek Campus at 8pm (See Sunday 4 May for details) Wednesday 7 May Opening of ‘Hydrogen': American University in Cairo student exhibition at Sharjah Art Gallery at 6pm Curated by visual artist and professor Shady Elnoshokaty, 'Hydrogen' is the 2014 senior student exhibition of the American University in Cairo's Visual Cultures Programme. The show features 17 projects created over a year-long process of research and production by the showcased students. The exhibition features works by Miral Abdel-Moneim, Habiba Allam, Ines Alexandra El-Sayed El-Laban, Zeina Asfour, Mondow Ayoub, Marwa Benhalim, Samar El-Abbasy, Leila El-Eshe, Tuqa El-Harouny, Salma El-Shaffei, Doaa Gamil, Ingy Helmy, Samar Khaled, Ayette Meligy, Salma Osama, Nour Rashad and Alyaa Sadek. The exhibition runs until 15 May. Sharjah Art Gallery, American University in Cairo, New Cairo Music recital at American University in Cairo at 7pm The American University in Cairo Chamber Singers and Music Majors will perform a selection of choral repertoire from various times, traditions and languages. Malak Gabr Arts Theater, Center for the Arts, American University in Cairo, New Cairo ## Also on this day: - 'Eradicating': Experimental performance at Gerhart Theatre at 7.30pm (see Monday, 5 May for more details) - Opening of ‘A Guest Without A Host Is A Ghost': collective show at the Townhouse Gallery and Contemporary Image Collective at 7pm (see Tuesday, 6 May for more details) - Gotcha Play at Greek Campus at 8pm (See Sunday, 4 May for details) Thursday 8 May Tribute to screenwriter Nadine Shams in El-Cabina at 7pm El-Cabina is set to host a night of screenings in memory of late screenwriter Nadine Shams. Two films will be screened and a discussion along with testimonies of her friends will follow. Shams passed away on 22 March 2014 after a routine operation. Her family say her death was a result of medical negligence. Shams was a graduate of the Higher Cinema Institute. She wrote several short stories and specialised in scriptwriting. She wrote several films, including Ehna Etkabelna Abl Kida (We've Met Before), a 2008 film starring Egyptian actress Nelly Kareem. She also worked on many TV programmes, including the popular series Moga Harra (Heatwave) last Ramadan. Read more here. 11 San Saba Street, El-Raml Station, Downtown, Alexandria Opera Tosca at the Cairo Opera House at 8pm In May 1889, Puccini attended Sardou's play La Toscaand, fascinated by its plot, he wrote: “In this ToscaI see the opera that exactly suits me, one without excessive proportions, one that is a decorative spectacle, that gives opportunity for an abundance of music.” A decade later, with a libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, Toscapremiered at Teatro Constanzi in Rome. Today, Toscais one of the most popular operas and a staple of repertoires around the world. Tosca is a frequently returning opera to the Cairo Opera House's stage. The production is directed by Abdalla Saad and performed by the Cairo Opera Company, Cairo Opera Orchestra conducted by David Crescenci, Cairo Opera Choir, Talents Development Centre's Children Choir. The opera will be staged on four evenings: 8, 9, 11 and 12 May. Check trailer of the Cairo Opera Company's Tosca below. Main Hall, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek, Cairo Theatre performances at Falaki Theatre at 8pm The evening will include 'Capharnaüm' by Latefa Ahrrar from Morocco and 'Points of Pain' by Kate Pendry. In 'Capharnaüm,' the artist uses multiple forms of visual language, to address taboos within traditional and conservative Arab society. 'Points of Pain' is a theatrical examination of the events of 22 July 2011 in Norway and their aftermath. On that day, a right wing extremist set off a bomb in the capital city of Oslo, after which he shot and killed 69 members of the Labour Party youth wing. The event is part of Culture Resource's Spring Festival and Red Zone Festival. Check the Spring Festival complete programme here. Falaki Theatre, 24 El-Falaki Street, Bab El-Louk, Downtown, Cairo Tribute to Warda at Alexandria Opera House at 8pm Alexandria Opera Company for Arab Music and Singing, conducted by Abdel-Hamid Abdel-Ghaffar will perform selection of her well known songs. Algerian singer Warda, who lived most of her life in Cairo, died on 17 May 2012. She was a regional icon whose powerful patriotic tunes were matched in popularity by her romantic ballads. Sayed Darwish Theatre (Alexandria Opera House), 22 El-Horreya Rd, El-Raml Station, Alexandria Also on this day: - Gotcha Play at Greek Campus at 8pm (See Sunday, 4 May for details) Friday 9 May Youssra El-Hawary at the Freedom Centre for Creativity in Alexandria at 7pm A concert will feature a selection of El-Hawary's compositions with the artist sing and play accordion. Youssra El-Hawary took the music scene by storm in 2012 with her hit single El-Soor, which discussed the Egyptian army's concrete barricades that had then started to criss-cross Downtown Cairo. Since then, the accordionist and her band have given several concerts in Cairo and Alexandria, as well as participating in festivals abroad. For the past two months, El-Hawary has been hosting a weekly radio show, Aadet Mazzika, on local commercial radio station Nogoum FM. Watch El-Hawary's song Nashaz performed in Alexandria below. 1 Fouad Street, Downtown, Alexandria Like Jelly concert at Vent at 10pm Like Jelly will take the stage, performing their show, which mixes theatre, comedy sketches and original music, touching on various aspects of Egyptian culture, politics and society. The band was formed in 2005 and has performed in numerous venues since. The original trio Youssef Atwan (storytelling and vocals), Muhammed El-Quessny (guitar) and Mostafa Talaat (bass guitar) are joined by drummer Moe El-Arkan, of Sharmoofers, along with Mohamed El-Dahan on saxophone, giving the band a unique new sound. 6 Kasr El-Nil Street, Downtown, Cairo 'Legend' exhibition by Reda Abdel-Rahman at Gallery Misr Reda Abdel-Rahman exhibits this month at Gallery Misr. Abdel-Rahman was born in the city of Ismailia in 1966, and has been passionate about art since the tender age of six. His practice ranges from large-scale murals to sculpture and paintings, which he mostly produces in his studio located on Dahab Island in the Nile. The artist is heavily influenced by ancient Egyptian art, and his oeuvre consistently features figurative painting and portraiture, often drenched in symbolism. In this exhibition, Abdel-Rahman reinterprets local and international folk tales and legends. The exhibition runs until 18 May. 4a Ibn Zanki Street, Zamalek, Cairo Also on this day: - Opera Tosca at the Cairo Opera House at 8pm (Check Thursday, 8 May listings for details) - Gotcha Play at Greek Campus at 5pm and 8pm (See Sunday, 4 May listings for details) Saturday 10 May Mediterranean clean up day in Alexandria starting 12pm All around the Mediterranean, ‘Let's Do It Mediterranean' campaign calls on citizens to participate in a clean up of the sea. In Alexandria, the meeting points are Sidi Bishr Beach, and the following day on Abu Qir Beach. Sidi Bishr Beach and Abu Qir Beach, Alexandria Cairo Video Festival re-screening of films in Medrar for Contemporary Art at 7pm Every Saturday Medrar re-screens films shown at the 2013 edition of the Cairo Video festival for video art and experimental films. The festival, hosted at Medrar in Garden City between 25 September and 7 October 2013, showcased almost 200 video art projects and experimental films from more than 30 countries. It also featured an exhibition, and a talk by prominent artist Hala El-Koussy. The festival was followed by a workshop for video art production. Read more on the video festival here. 7 Gamal El-Din Abu El Mahassen Street, Garden City, Cairo Poetry evening at Rawabet Theatre at 8pm Three poets, Michael Adel (Egypt), Mohamed Ellaghafi (Morocco) and Walid Al-Kubaisi (Iraq/Norway) will bring three unique voices and points of view for a night of poetry. The event has free admission. The event is part of Culture Resource's Spring Festival and Red Zone Festival. Check the Spring Festival complete programme here. 3 Hussein El-Meamar Street, off Mahmoud Bassiouny Street, Downtown, Cairo Also on this day: - Gotcha Play final performances at Greek Campus at 5pm and 8pm (See Sunday, 4 May listings for details) Sunday 11 May Screening of ‘This is Not a Film' at Falaki Theatre at 8pm ‘This is Not a Film' is a 2011 documentary directed by Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb. The film's running time is 75 mins. Panahi, an Iranian filmmaker, is widely acclaimed at major international festivals for gritty and socially critical movies that are banned in Iran. He was arrested for a documentary he tried to make on the unrest following the 2009 election and after being placed under house arrest, he was later sentenced to six years in jail and banned from making films for 20 years. In 2011, his 'This Is Not A Film' had to be smuggled out in a USB key inside a cake to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The event is part of Culture Resource's Spring Festival and Red Zone Festival. Check the Spring Festival complete programme hereand watch the film trailer below. 24 Falaki Street, Bab El-Louq, Downtown, Cairo Also on this day: - Opera Tosca at the Cairo Opera House at 8pm (Check Thursday, 8 May listings for more details) ------------- Follow Arts and Culture updates on Twitter: @AhramOnlineArts and on our Facebook page: Ahram Online: Arts and Culture http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/100374.aspx
