Jesuit Cairo reopens restored Studio Nasibian Theatre three years after fire

The fully restored Studio Nasibian Theatre, a stage run by Jesuit Cairo, reopened on Saturday after it had been gutted by fire on 31 October 2021.

One of the oldest studios and theatre stages in Cairo, Studio Nasibian was founded in the Faggala district, downtown Cairo, in 1937 by photographer Herant Nasibian, the head of the Armenian community in Egypt at the time.

The original studio included a laboratory for film processing and printing, sound recording and editing rooms, and a studio where indoor scenes were filmed.

Nasibian's studio contributed to the production of numerous films in the 1930s and 1940s.

In 1952, Nasibian sold the studio and left Egypt after the July Revolution.

In the late 1990s, the studio was sold to its current operator, the Nahda Culture and Scientific Renaissance Association - also known as Nahda Association, Jesuit Cairo.

Nasibian was privy to the production of some iconic films, such as El-Fettewa (1957), Cairo Station (1958), Arous El-Nil (1963), and Shafika and Metwalli (1981).

It has hosted nukerous iconic troupes and artists and organized cinema workshops for movie-lovers over the decades.

Several Egyptian independent artists and cultural bodies donated to the theatre's restoration.

The restored stage hosted a Ramadan programme last April.

The reopening of the stage coincided with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Nahda Association.

It also coincided with the first anniversary of the passing of Father William Sidhom - the founder and spiritual father of the association.

From : Al-Ahram