Four months after the sudden passing of Egyptian theatre director Tarek Said, the 19th National Theatre Festival (25 July-11 August) hosted a panel discussion celebrating his life and legacy. The event formed part of the festival’s memorial programme, honouring theatre practitioners lost over the previous year.
— Published in Al Ahram Weekly / Ahram Online
On 4 August, friends, collaborators, students and family gathered at the Supreme Council of Culture to remember Said who, as they described him, was not simply an accomplished artist, but someone frequently referred to as a teacher, mentor and moral compass.
Moderated by his wife, theatre critic Amani Samir, the panel became an intimate, deeply personal reflection on a man whose influence extended far beyond the artistic fields he pursued, becoming an attempt to explain why Said’s absence continues to be deeply felt across Egypt’s independent theatre community and beyond. In fact, Said, who died unexpectedly of heart failure on 28 March at the age of 59, left behind a body of work spanning theatre, cinema, television and voice acting, and was also known for his work as an acting coach.
“He was never an ordinary person” were the opening words by Sabry Zamzam, a senior journalist at Al-Ahram, who began by tracing a friendship with Said that went back to secondary school in 1981. The two shared classrooms, spent afternoons discussing literature, and shared a passion for writers such as Naguib Mahfouz and Mustafa Mahmoud. Zamzam described a teenager already consumed by ideas and artistic curiosity.
Said carried his passion for theatre into his university years, becoming actively involved in Cairo University’s theatre scene while studying at the Faculty of Arts, Department of Library and Information Science, until he graduated in 1988. That same year, together with actor Ehab Sobhy, Said launched Al-Dou’ (The Light) Theatre Company; and actor Sayed Al-Roumy joined them just a year later; they would produce a body of work that included numerous plays Said wrote and directed. It was in 1995 that Amani Samir joined the troupe as executive and assistant director.
The company’s debut production, The Last Performance (1988), a monodrama starring Ehab Sobhy, premiered at the inaugural Independent Theatre Festival, known as the Free Theatre Gathering, a short-lived but pivotal event in the history of Egypt independent theatre movement.
As Al-Dou’ established itself through productions that continued to be featured in the early round of the Free Theatre Gathering and the newly emerging Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre, Said sought to learn every aspect of theatre-making, from arts management and dramaturgy to lighting, mime, puppetry and dance, continuously developing and sharpening his skills under the guidance of renowned Egyptian, Arab and international creatives.
As if that was not enough, he decided to broaden his artistic practice by enrolling in the Higher Institute of Cinema’s film directing department in 1990, graduating four years later. It was a period of remarkable creative ferment, and he immersed himself in every opportunity to learn, experiment and collaborate. Those experiences shaped an artist equally at home in theatre, documentary filmmaking and dubbing, while forging the actor-centred approach that would define his career.
During the panel, Sobhy recalled countless conversations on topics far beyond theatre. “Tarek researched everything,” he said. “He researched art brilliantly, but he also searched for God.” Reading, philosophical debate and artistic experimentation formed the intellectual backbone of both Al-Dou’ and Said himself. From the outset, Al-Dou’ championed a minimalist theatrical language, treating simplicity not as an aesthetic constraint but as a means to uncover deeper ideas. Reflecting the experimental spirit of the period, this stripped-back aesthetic also grew out of practical realities: limited resources, no permanent performance spaces and a commitment to artistic independence.
As Said later reflected, “we realised that we represented a theatrical current parallel to what the state was producing. We had no dedicated performance spaces. Our only motivation was to create theatre through self-funded productions with the fewest possible means.” Some productions, or segments of them, also embraced participatory principles, inviting audiences to become active spectactors rather than passive observers.
Over the years, drawing on the work of Salah Jahin and others, the company grew to include numerous actors and theatre practitioners, producing largely self-financed works. By the end of the 1990s, its repertoire included The Chase (1989), The Passers-By (1990), Half-Revolutionaries (1992), based on the Yusuf Idriss short story, which won the Best Play Award at the second Free Theatre Gathering, Rashomon (1995) which earned Said a nomination for the State Incentive Award, Send My Regards To… (1996), and Diamond Dust (1999). Al-Dou’s successes also included The Piano (1993), which Said wrote and acted in and which had mis-en-scene by Dalia Basiouny; it won the Best Play award at the third Free Theatre Gathering before representing Egypt at Morocco’s Spring Arab Theatre Festival. Said also adapted and directed plays outside Al-Dou’: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1995), Day-round (1998), The Happy Prince (2000), with numerous other children’s theatre productions all across the country.
Many of the artists who helped shape those years were among the speakers at the symposium. They included the director, screenwriter, and president of the Aswan International Women Film Festival Mohamed Abdel-Khalik.
In his early years, Abdel-Khalik headed his own Atelier Theatre Company, but he also joined Al-Dou’ as an actor in Staying or Going? (2009) and Rihani Badia (2012); and Said returned the favour by acting in State of Emergency, a production by the Atelier Theatre Company directed by Abdel-Khalik. Having a broad awareness of the beginning of Egypt’s independent scene, Abdel-Khalik took the opportunity to place Said within the wider history of Egypt’s independent theatre movement.
In the 1980s, he said, “independent theatre” was often misunderstood as either amateur theatre or politically motivated art. In reality, it represented a generation of professionals seeking to create an entirely new artistic language. “Tarek chose to be an independent artist. It wasn’t simply where he worked; it was how he thought. He simply wanted to do what he loved — and to do it professionally,” Abdel-Khalik said. He went on to argue that, unlike many artists who later moved comfortably between independent and institutional productions, Said treated independence as a creative philosophy rather than a career phase, seeing it as one expression of a truly professional theatre.
Amani Samir echoed that view, recalling that her husband “always rejected the notion that independence meant simply working outside institutions. Independence was a choice.”
Said himself returned to this idea in several interviews. “Independent theatre does not mean we are amateurs,” he said in one.
“Amateur theatre practitioners typically pursue theatre alongside other professions — such as teaching, medicine or engineering — and perform only as a hobby. Independent artists, by contrast, earn their living through theatre but are not employed by state cultural institutions.”
This, of course, entailed a high level of professionalism reflected in Said’s exacting standards, which his colleagues repeatedly recalled at the symposium.
Abdel-Khalik described Said as someone who “rehearsed relentlessly, controlled the creative rhythm with almost musical precision, and refined every detail until it met his standards.” Even while studying cinema, Said constantly searched for ways to develop his work through new techniques and ideas.
The commitment to craft was echoed by actress Shahira Fouad, who first worked with Said on his graduation project at the Higher Institute of Cinema. Recalling the beginning of their collaboration, she said his meticulous approach to directing was evident from the outset. “Whether working with established actors, newcomers or children, his standards never changed. He paid attention to every detail,” she said, further exploring how this attitude extended to voice directing and dubbing across television, film, animation and radio.
Here, Fouad touched on yet another field which Said explored for a large part of his creative practice. While theatre remained Said’s artistic home, from the mid-1990s onwards he steadily expanded into voice directing, becoming one of Egypt’s most respected dubbing and voice directors. Between 1996 and 1999, he worked on Arabic versions of Disney productions and animated television series before moving onto a broad range of international projects, including dozens of episodes of works such as Martin, Totally Spies!, Mega Man and hundreds of hours of international TV series such as Venezuelan telenovela Wild Cat, The Mask of Zorro, etc.
He also served as sound director on the highly popular Ramadan animated Quranic storytelling series starring Yehia Al-Fakharany, beginning Stories of the Quran in 2013 and continuing through 2015. He also directed the Egyptian Arabic dubbing of the BBC-produced series Sindbad, which featured numerous Egyptian stars.
Fouad commented that Said always regarded voice directing as genuine acting rather than simply recording dialogue. “Tarek wasn’t satisfied with superficial performances. He directed even the biggest stars until he found the soul of the animated character,” she recalled.
That philosophy reflected Said’s own understanding of voice performance. He often described it as one of acting’s most demanding disciplines, arguing that once an actor is stripped of facial expressions and physical movement, the voice alone must communicate every emotional nuance.
Fouad admitted that their early collaborations were not always easy. “Tarek was very direct, sometimes even sharp, and I preferred gentleness. Yet I soon realised that his bluntness was never personal,” she recalled. After noticing her discomfort with his manner, Amani Samir — as executive director of Al-Dou’ — gently approached Said, explaining that actors responded to criticism differently. “Tarek immediately adjusted the way he communicated with me — and later with each performer — without compromising his pursuit of excellence.”
She then pointed to what she considered one of Said’s greatest yet least recognised achievements: “Tarek was one of the best coaches we’ve had, but he was never properly recognised as a trainer, nor as a scriptwriter.” Having worked alongside him in theatre, dubbing and a series of documentary films commissioned by NGOs and other institutions, Fouad said the same actor-centred approach defined his work in every medium.
This approach could be seen even in documentaries such as Abu Al-Dahab, The River of Giving, The Golden Jubilee, feature films such as A Pious Servant and Warning, and comedy series such Tahseen 24. Meanwhile, his screenplays were directed by Youssef Kamal (The First Tourists) and Osama Asham (When the World Jokes), among others.
And while speakers reflected on Said’s work as a director, playwright and dubbing artist, many ultimately returned to his role as a mentor, arguing that his greatest legacy lay not only in the productions he created but in the generations of artists he shaped. Director Shady Al-Daly described working with Said on the monodrama Happy Birthday (2005) as “transformative: Tarek taught you without making you feel he was teaching you.”
As a young actor, Al-Daly found reassurance in Said’s demanding rehearsals. “You felt he wouldn’t let it go until you became the best version of yourself.” More importantly, he said, Said taught confidence. “Tarek taught me to be brave, to pursue what I wanted, and to claim my rights.” Al-Daly dedicated his latest play, Voices, which premiered earlier this year, to his late mentor.
Al-Daly’s recollections were echoed by actor Michael Lotfy, who first worked with Said in 2008. Their rehearsals initially saw frequent disagreements shaped by differing ideologies, but the relationship gradually evolved into one resembling that of father and son. He recalled how Said later guided him into dubbing and continued advising him after he began directing his own films. Lotfy’s first short film was completed shortly before Said’s death, and Said therefore did not attend its premiere.
Through the years, coaching and workshops became Said’s regular endeavor, one that was not limited to developing young actors. For many years, he also gave numerous workshops in acting and writing at special camps for talented children from Egypt, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon, held in Egypt and Amman. On the other hand, his work with younger generations included workshops and performances tailored to children with special needs, differently abled participants and school dropouts.
This ability to draw out what performers were capable of was also at the heart of actor Salwa Mohamed Ali’s brief but poignant contribution to the panel. She praised Said’s ability to push performers beyond their perceived limits and uncover possibilities they did not know they possessed.
She particularly acknowledged the often-unseen role played by Amani Samir, Said’s wife, creative partner and executive director, who accompanied him for over three decades of his artistic journey. “Amani did an amazing job, and not many of us are able to support both the husband and the artist in such a boundless way,” she commented.
During the seminar, Samir herself offered only a few remarks, but they distilled much of what others had been describing throughout the afternoon. “Tarek always wanted to do something for a reason. Even his words had to have a reason or he’d remain silent,” she said adding that despite his accomplishments, Said never regarded himself as exceptionally gifted. “Tarek used to say, ‘I’m simply serious about what I do’.”
Speaking about their relationship, she insisted it had always gone beyond marriage. “He wasn’t only my husband. That was just one side of our relationship. Tarek was my friend, perhaps my only friend.” Years of working together across theatre, dubbing, cinema and everyday life, she added, shaped not only her career but the way she understood people and the world at large.
As the symposium drew to a close, one conclusion emerged repeatedly from almost every speaker. Tarek Said left behind acclaimed productions and helped shape Egypt’s independent theatre movement, but his most enduring legacy may be less tangible: generations of actors, directors and voice artists who continue to carry forward his insistence on discipline, precision, intellectual curiosity and generosity.
Ati Metwaly 