Leila Soliman
(Kairo)
Laila Soliman (born in 1981) is an independent Egyptian theatre director and playwright, living and working in Cairo. She studied at the German School (DSB, Cairo) and obtained her BA in theatre at the American University in Cairo and her MA at Dasarts (AHK) in Amsterdam. Her work stems from an interest in the state of flux in the contemporary socio-political climate and its influence on individuals, relationships and power structures. It relies on collective memories and personal histories as ways of bridging the gap between the official versions of events and intimate, individual experiences. Her performances have been shown in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, India, South Africa and various countries in Europe. Amongst the most important works she directed are “The Retreating World” (2004), “Ghorba, images of alienation” (2006), “…At your service!” (2009), “Spring Awakening in the Tuktuk” (2010), “No Time for Art 0/1/2/3” (20111_2013), “Hawa ELhorreya, Whims of Freedom” (2014) , “The National Museum of the State Security System” (2015), “Zigzig”(2016), “Museum of Lungs” (2018). Laila Soliman’s play “Egyptian Products” (2009) was published in the anthology Plays from the Arab World by Nick Hern Books and the Royal Court Theatre, London and her performance texts “A Diary in Scenes: And don’t forget never to wear tampons at a revolution!” (2011) and “No Desert Roses” (2017) were published in Theater der Zeit magazine.
