TAKE TO THE STAGE- Whether you want to dive into the film industry, uncover your inner thespian, or improve your confidence there are loads of workshops and studios in Cairo to help you build your acting chops and meet your needs.

DEVELOP YOUR INTERPERSONAL SKILLS- You don’t have to be a die-hard theater fanatic or an aspiring actor to get something out of these workshops. Taking up acting as a hobby can be great for building confidence, nurturing your improvisational skills, in the corporate or creative world, and an outlet for your creative expression.

ALSO- Role playing is often utilized in the corporate world to help with practicing strategies in meetings, crisis management, and development. If this is something you’re interested in bringing to your business, these venues can provide you with more details.

WORKSHOPS, WORKSHOPS, WORKSHOPS- Many studios and workshop leaders we’ve spoken to have preferred to share the cost breakdown to their candidates based on need and their ability, so it is best to check first before making your way over to them.

#1- The Arab Film Schoolhosts a wide range of filmmaking and acting courses in Arabic for film enthusiasts. Beginner acting courses are taught by acting coach Ahmed El Ghazaly and cover themes like how to overcome tension through breathing exercises and the fundamentals of improvisation. Advanced courses, which are instructed by acting coach Gerald James, are designed for those seeking to appear on the big screen and expand on topics covered in beginner courses. Character development, prop work and dialogue are among the areas of training you should expect to cover.

WHERE- 124 Othman Ibn Affan Street, Heliopolis.

THE PRICE TAG- Courses for beginners will run you EGP 10k for 12 four-hour long sessions. Advanced courses, which consist of 20 four-hour long sessions, typically run about USD 1.2k.

#2-Starz Studio offers exhaustive courses in Arabic designed to prepare students to audition for roles on the big screen. Founded in 2007 by Marwa Gabriel, Starz Studio holds workshops offered in three levels — each geared towards varying levels of experience.

There’s something for everyone: For instance, Starz’s level 1 course is designed for beginners looking to learn the basics of acting. By the end of the course, students are typically able to fully carry a role and in some instances may be ready to start auditioning for parts. Meanwhile, their level 3 workshop is specifically focused on acting in front of a camera.

And lots to take away, even if you aren’t gunning for the big screen: Students can expect to see public speaking and presentation skills improved at the conclusion of her workshops, Gabriel explained to us.

WHERE- Villa 68, Street 15, Maadi.

DURATION- Level 1 courses span four months, with four-hour sessions twice a week. Level 2 courses run three months. Bite-sized intro course runs for one month with sessions twice a week for 2-3 hours.

#3- Darb1718is a multidisciplinary arts and culture center that hosts acting workshops among its varied educational programming. Their most recent workshop led by Royal Central School of Speech and Drama-trained acting coach Reem Shaheed is focused on intimacy and safe space training for actors. One of the primary outcomes you can expect to take away from this workshop is the ability to safely and consistently express heartfelt emotion during scenes.

WHERE- 159 Kasr Al Shama'e, Kom Ghorab, Old Cairo.

THE PRICE TAG- Shaheed’s intimacy and safe space workshop will run you EGP 6k for 16 four-hour sessions over the course of two months.

#4- Cairo Acting and Casting Studio. Acting coach Lauren Lou Geoffroy offers workshops for “private clients and very small groups of talented people for intensive acting coaching,” according to Geoffroy’s Facebook page. Her upcoming workshop cycle begins October 23 or 27. Students must fill out applications for consideration.

WHERE- Maadi, with the exact location to be determined closer to the workshop cycle date via their Facebook page.

THE PRICE TAG- USD 285 for eight sessions twice a week for four weeks.

#5- Luke Lehner Studioswas founded in 2018 by acting coach Luke Lehner to help actors of various skill levels hone their craft. Workshops offered range from beginner-level courses for people with no prior acting experience to one-on-one courses specifically tailored to established actors’ needs. Beginners can expect to be introduced to the basics of acting — including how to think about characters, scenes and approach scripts. The most basic beginner workshops run almost monthly while their level 2 course — which builds on concepts introduced during beginner workshops — runs every 2-3 months.

WHERE- 35 Misr Helwan Agriculture Road, Maadi.

DURATION- Beginners courses run 4-5 weeks, with three hour sessions held twice a week.

#6- Gusour Cultural Center. If you’re looking for something a little different, Gusour offers a more practical acting workshop focused on improving self-expression and navigating conflict through role play. The center currently runs the short five-day workshop only once a year.

WHERE- 5 Meshel Lotf Allah, Omar Al Khayam, Zamalek.

#7- ImproHub: Check out improvisation-focused workshops brought to you by the folks behind the excellent improv troupe Irtigalia. ImproHub currently offers four courses — two for beginners and two advanced courses that place specific themes as their central focus. Beginner courses cover the basic tools, techniques and mindset you need to effectively improvise with others on stage.

ADVANCED COURSES- For the more experienced, the Storytelling course, which is taught by founder Ramsi Lehner, dives into the fundamentals of crafting a compelling improvised narrative and the key features of a good story. While qualifications required to enroll in these workshops vary, you can expect to see improved public speaking skills, creative thinking and self-confidence as potential learning outcomes from them all.

WHERE- 35 Misr Helwan Agriculture Road, Maadi.

#8- Dahlyia’s Drama: Try out acting with a therapeutic twist with acting coach Dahlyia Sabbour’s Psychodrama Group Therapy workshop. Expect to collaboratively unpack hidden parts of yourself through movement, improvisation, and interactive theater techniques in a group setting. Participants should also expect to cultivate a heightened sense of emotional awareness and creativity by the end of the workshop, which requires no prior experience to enroll.

WHERE-Sabbour’s workshop is primarily held at either Dawar Arts Downtown or Haven HolisticHealing in Zamalek. But you can also find her workshops in New Cairo, Maadi and Sheikh Zayed at times. Upcoming schedules and locations are announced on her Instagram page.

THE PRICE TAG- The workshop runs 6-8 sessions, each four hours long, over the course of three or four weeks and ranges between EGP 2k-6k. Prices depend on the location and length of the workshop but students must commit to the full duration of the course to enroll.

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