Caravan, Vol. 50, No. 21

              VOL. 50 : No. 21
CAffiO, MONDAY, 22 MAY 1972
ONE PIASTtlR
3 French plays score in Howard Theater. English Pinter is out
by SANAA MAKHLOUF
Vi'ith three dull thuds of a staff on the stage floor, Dr. David Woodman, associate professor of Drama and English Literature, hiugurated in the French style, the renovated Howard Theater and opened the Student Directors Show, last Monday and Tuesday.
The original program included four plays : Harold Pinter’s The Lover, Tar-dieu’s One Gesture For Another, Sartre’s No Exist, and Moliere’ The Miser, but Mervat Daoud, one of the two principle characters in the Pinter play directed by Osman Selim, sprained her ankle. The play has been pos^mned until, next October.
Dr. Woodman gave a brief speech to the full-house in which he extolled on the virtues of the reborn threa-ter. He thanked Dr. Doris Shoukii, Chairman of the English Department, for her help in making the renovations possible. He also thanked the university administration and Abdalla el-Ayouti, former director of the Opera House, who designed the new Howard
Marwan Dewey in the dual role of direct*, r and actor ..lie; snow suu'led with as protagonist Garciu with Andree Bit iiatInez, and Tardieu’s play directed by Magda el-Sanga in her debut as Estrfle in No Exit. It Hoda Fahmy, and acted by: was Andree’s excellent [>erformance that saved the Mohannad Farouki as Ad- play.
miral Sepulchre, Shadia el- ,	.	«	j u-
Bakry as Madame of Saint soaring effect after the competetion, played his ‘ace
on Earth, Galal Mansour as	and Mona
Mr. Squabble, Ishita Baha-	the sinallest cast, el-Sayeh m his condensed
dursingh, as Mrs. Squabble, concentrated dialogue and a version of
who connects the scenes Dr Shoukri expressed her with narrations and lively admiration of the show and remarks. Galal Mansour praised Andree Bichara and played his second role for Mr. Sarny’s performances, the night as Harpagon, the She thought the choice of miser, but he needed to French plays made use of know his lines better. The the students’ language abi-cast included Washeed Sa- lities and talents whereas my as Valere, Elise’s lover an English play might have with a funny German ephasized their language accent ; Constantin, the limitations, brother with equally funny French - affected mannerisms ; Abdel Rahman el-Tarzi as Maitre Jacques ;
Omar el-Sayeh as Fleche ; and Miss el-Sayeh as Marianne.
A PROMISING ACTOR
The audience was surprised to see Mr. Noujaim burst on stage and stop the actors and tell them how to re-do the scene. Mr. Sarny called on Mr. Noujaim to cue him on some forgotten lines. These interruptions were done with such charm that the audience accepted them uncritically.
After the show the audience was invited to reception with the actors in
Mr. el-Ayouti was equally pleased with the plays. He thought that they turned out better than he had expected. He was particularly appreciative of Mr. Mansour’s ability to carry out two roles, each well done, in the same night.
Dr. Woodman said that he was pleased with the choice of plays because they were difficult and afforded diverse problems which the students overcame with cooperation. He said that he had discovered a promising actor that night in Mr. Benaky, a Greek student in
the garden. Dr. Georgie _
Moliere’s The Hyde, professor of Psycho- Chemistry - Physics, who Sanvn pi.AmiiQu aa'	seiiuus topic, this play Miser. Miss Riad played	congratulated Dr. joined the university this
ness Gloworm ^Amira Zai-	failed miserably Elise, the miser’s daughter. Woodman on the show. semester.
dan a Miss Cargo, Moham-	^
mad Labib as Mn Elder the was ab^rb^
Young, and Mohammad
The audience due to the of Andree
Abdel Latif as Cesar, the
footman. It was a delight-	^he dual role of
ful comedy because of its	this play and
unexpected comical gestu-	the protagonist
® Garcin. Hassan Masloum was convincing in his role The lively acting illicited of the unblinking expresson-loud laughs and applause less Valet. Magda el-Sanga from the audience, but Mr. made a good start for her Mansour tended to overdo debut as Estelle, his part to gain more After intermision, Antoi-laughs, which he did.	jjg Noujaim, winner of the
Sartre’s No Exist had a first prize in the one-act
A.U.C. takes exams coel itnlike N. Universities, says Al-Missa
by NEVEEN MIJI.KIE
“He who puts his hand in cold water is not like he who puts his hand in hot water’’, says an Arabic proverb.
“Students at the American Univereity in Cairo have their hands in cold water, and think with serene, undistuibed nerves, while their counterparts at national universities have their hands in hot water — which reaches the boiling point at times — and think with highly-strung nerves.’’
professors and students at various national universities on the subject, Mr. Khaled began his article his ailicle in the saying that professors and issue, after he students, alike, agree in
This is the literal translation of what Rifaat Khaled, one of the editors of Al-Missa evening paper, wrote in 14 May
visited A.U.C. on Saturday, their criticism of the system 13 May. He interview^ of examinations as applied j several students about in Egyptian universities.
! their final examinations.
I	The professors believe
I The title of Mr. Khaled’s that, final examinations article was “Examinations being almost-uniquely the have begun, and with them, only factor which deter-anxiety, highly - strung mines the success or failure nerves ' and exhaustion’!. ,of a student, it necessarily The article drew a comiia^ creates a state of tension, rative picture between the worry and fear in the
A scene from 'One Gesture for Another’ nith Mohanned Farouki, the Admiral ; Sanya Arousi,-the Baronesti; Shadia Bakry, the hostess; and Ainira Zaidan, as Miss Cargo in the Student Directors Show ht the renovated Honard Theater.
state of nerves of students at national universities and A.U.C. during final examinations.
minds and behaviour of (Cont. on page 5)
After interviewing many s.oj?. - press — Cairo