Lights, camera, action! AUC’s Falaki Mainstage Theater at the Tahrir Square campus will be hosting the acclaimed theatrical production Bakathir Museum, as a part of a new partnership between AUC and the Hadhramout Culture Foundation. The play will run on May 1 and 2, 2026, marking 115 years of the visionary writer Ali Ahmad Bakathir (1910–1969) and reviving his creative legacy through a contemporary theatrical vision. To register, click here.

Bakathir Museum is part of an ongoing series of cultural events launched at the Cairo Opera House in December 2025 under the theme “115 Years of Influence.” The initiative celebrates Bakathir’s literary legacy by reinterpreting it through contemporary tools to reach new audiences across the Arab world. 

Poet, novelist and playwright Ali Ahmad Bakathir is widely regarded as one of the most prominent figures in 20th-century Arabic literature. He shared Egypt’s State Appreciation Award with Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz and produced memorable works, including the novel Wa Islamah and the epic Omar ibn al-Khattab. He was also the first to present a poetic Arabic translation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Directed by Ahmed Fouad, Bakathir Museum blends drama, music and modern visual media, sharing the work of Bakathir through a contemporary lens. Performed three times over the coming weekend, the production serves as a theatrical journey inside a “living museum,” where characters come alive and Bakathir’s ideas return to life on stage The play moves beyond conventional documentary approaches to engage today’s audiences through a vivid and intellectually resonant artistic language. 

“Partnerships like this one with the Hadhramout Culture Foundation are central to AUC’s mission,” said AUC President Ahmad Dallal. “One of the University’s enduring commitments is connecting knowledge across generations. By hosting Bakathir Museum, we bring a rich literary legacy into conversation with today’s students, intellectuals and scholars, bridging the past and the present,” Dallal added.

"One of the University’s enduring commitments is connecting knowledge across generations. By hosting Bakathir Museum, we bring a rich literary legacy into conversation with today’s students, intellectuals and scholars, bridging the past and the present."

Along with the theatrical performances, the Hadhramout Culture Foundation has launched the Bakathir Annual Award in Literature, dedicated this year to Arabic poetry for youth. The award aims to discover emerging poetic talent, connect younger generations with Bakathir’s blend of authenticity and innovation, and provide a competitive platform befitting the stature of Arabic literature.

The Hadhramout Culture Foundation is a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to promoting cultural awareness and supporting sustainable creative projects that connect Arab heritage with a global audience. Through grant programs, literary initiatives and performing arts events, the foundation works to support writers, theatre practitioners and musicians while enhancing their presence locally, nationally and internationally. Their partnership with AUC marks the start of a collaboration that shares values of celebrating Arab tradition through literature, theatre and art. 

“We are not merely commemorating a figure from the past; we are investing in the future of Arab culture,” shared Abdullah Ahmed Bugshan, chairman of the Founders Board of Hadhramout Culture Foundation. “Focusing on younger generations through theatre and the annual literary award is the true guarantee of sustaining Bakathir’s renewed influence.”