Nidal Al Achkar

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Nidal Al Achkar
نضال الاشقر
Born
Nidal Asad Al Achkar

(1941-10-04) October 4, 1941 (age 82)
OccupationDirector. Actress. Founder of Al Madina Theater
Years active1967–present
SpouseFouad Naïm
ChildrenOmar Naïm, and Khaled Naïm

Nidal Al Achkar (born 1941) is a Lebanese actress and theater director, hailed as "The Grande Dame of Lebanese Theater".[1]

Personal life

Nidal was born in

Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.[3] In 1967 she directed her first play in Beirut
, and went on to found the Beirut Theatre Workshop in the late 1960s. Nidal Al Achkar is married to Fouad Naïm and is mother of Omar Naim and Khaled Naïm.

Career

After Nidal graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), her encounter and training with John Littlewood changed her vision about theatre. She founded “The Beirut Theatre Workshop” in 1968. In 1984, Nidal Al-Achkar established the “Arab Actors” theatre company; it was the first troupe of artist found from 13 different Arab countries.

She is currently the founder chairperson and artistic director of Masrah Al-Madina Cultural and Arts Center. The Center is composed of two performance areas, a training section, an exhibition hall, and a coffee shop. Both Nidal and Masrah Al-Madina aim to continue to promote culture, art, and artists, and through them to inspire change and instill new values.[2]

In a 2019 interview she warned that it was impossible to have theater in the Arab world without "real, transformative revolutions" which would allow freedom of speech and openness.[4]

Achievements

References

  1. ^ Hanan Nasser, LAU Celebrates the Grande Dame of Theater, Nidal Al Achkar, Lebanese American University, March 22, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "The History of Al Madina Theatre (The Founder)". Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  3. ^ Nidal Al Achkar: A Woman of the Theatre, Home Magazine, Issue No. 3, 2018. Accessed 10 March 2020.
  4. ^ Lebanese Actress Nidal Al-Ashkar: No Freedom Of Speech In The Arab World; Change Would Require Real Transformative Revolutions, memri.org, April 12, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "NIDAL AL ASHKAR". Hay Festival. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  6. ^ Nidal Al Ashkar receives Lebanon culture award, June 24, 2012. Accessed 10 March 2020.
  7. ^ "وزير الثقافة يقلّد نضال الأشقر وسام الاستحقاق الفضي باسم رئيس الجمهورية". Retrieved April 14, 2021.

External links