In a land far away, where girls have pale white skin, because they never walk in the sun, Badr el-Bodor is born. The girls of this land are kept at home and never see the streets, because their parents tell them that there is a scary ogress, living in the castle on the nearby mountain and waiting to devour little girls who dare venture out from their homes. The mothers' only role, in this land, is to braid their daughters' hair and lock them up at home. But Badr is different. She is an active girl and her skin is darker than that of the other girls, because her parents allow her to play and walk freely in the sun. All the other girls are afraid of the monstrous ogress, but not Badr. She is driven by her passion for learning and knowledge. She insists on climbing the mountain and visiting the ogress. Badr is a character in a children's play entitled Badr el-Bodor wel Bir el-Masshour (Badr el-Bodor and the Magic Well). The play, produced by the National Children's Theatre, is written by Seham bent Sania we Abdel Salam and directed by Bassem Kenawi. The play, depending on a female protagonist, discusses the right of women to search for knowledge and live freely, without being locked in their homes or being afraid of an ogress. Badr el-Bodor, vividly played by May el-Gheity, challenges her weak, negative society, which prefers to stay scared at home rather than searching for the truth. Badr climbs the mountain, accompanied by some animals, where she encounters the ogress. Surprisingly, she is not an ogress at all, but a beautiful princess, living alone in a castle. The princess, played by Salwa Mohamed Ali, then narrates her story to Badr and her animals. She is another victim of freedom of speech. She is the king's daughter and has his ear. But her father's minister and a fortune-teller start whispering things in the king's ears, telling him that the princess wants to take the throne. The king exiles his daughter to the castle and builds a deep, magic well for her. She is exiled and lonely, just for expressing her opinion. The princess is in many ways similar to the girls in the village, who also have to stay at home; they cannot go to school or even play in the streets. The play urges children to learn. The director uses puppets to play the king, the minister and the fortune teller, in order to make it more fun for children, who love puppet shows. Another character in the play is the grandmother, who sits in a corner and comments on Badr's life. Played by Aya Khamis, she represents the old-fashioned thinking that still exists in most places. The grandmother believes that girls should be kept at home; this is why she keeps on making them scared by telling them the story of the ogress. Although Aya is only in her twenties, she plays the old grandmother impressively. The young girls in the village are also very impressively played by members of the National Children's Theatre, trained by Azza Labib, its director. Despite a modest budget, the director has succeeded in putting on a play with a fairytale touch that charms the young audience. Kenawi also includes some lovely songs and light dancing for the children. The music is composed by Hani Abdel-Nasser, while the décor and costumes are by Philip Boules and the stage lighting by Abu Bakr el-Sherif. The play is being performed every Thursday and Friday at 7pm in the National Children's Theatre, Metropol Theatre, Ataba, downtown Cairo.
