Sharjah ruler to honor Mohamed Sobhy

CAIRO – 13 March 2018: Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, the sovereign ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, will honor veteran Egyptian theatrical artist Mohamed Sobhy on Tuesday March 13 at the opening ceremony of the 28th edition of Sharjah Theatre Festival.

A cultured, enlightened and multi-talented artist who has enriched Arab theater with many of his creative plays; Sobhy’s rich theatrical experience has made him a role model to all Arab theatrical artists.

Who is Mohamed Sobhy?

Sobhy is an Egyptian actor, writer and theatrical director who was born in Cairo in 1948. In 1967, he caught attention by playing the role of “Hamlet” during his final exam at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts. At the time, he wrote, starred and directed “Hamlet” using his unique theatrical vision.

Sobhy graduated with honors and was appointed as a demonstrator to the institute.

Sobhy started his theater career by performing in minor roles in famous plays alongside great actors like Salah Mansour, Mohamed Awad, Fouad el-Mohandes, and Mohamed Negm among others.

His first minor yet influential role was in the famous play “Hello Shalaby” in 1970. Sobhy’s first leading role was in “Entaha el Dars Ya Ghabi” (The Lesson is Over, Stupid).

Sobhy’s theatrical repertoire includes “Al Joker” (The Joker), “Al Hamagy” (The Barbarian), “Weghet Nazar” (A Point of View), and “Carmen” among others.

He performed in many popular soap operas, the most famous being “Fares bela Gawad” (A Knight without a Horse) and the immortal series “Yawmeyat Wanees” (Wanees’s Diaries), which aired seven seasons.

Carthage Theater Days Festival, which kicked off on December 8, honored Sobhy on December 11. CTDF organized a big ceremony to honor the veteran theatrical actor. The honoring ceremony was followed by a seminar discussing Sobhy’s theatrical career. The ceremony was attended by different media agencies, newspapers and TV channels.

The third edition of Sharm El-Sheikh Youth Theatre Festival management honored Sobhy as well and the edition bore the name of the great theatrical actor and director.
The owner of Sama Company, the Egyptian businessman Hassan Rateb, acquired 80 percent of Sonbol City, owned by Sobhy. Rateb will transform Sonbol City into Sama Sonbol Academy, which will target discovering talent and creators in various fields of arts, such as music, singing, acting, directing and photography. The academy is expected to become the second technical entity specialized in this field; the first being the Academy of Arts.

Sobhy previously explained that the academy is expected to make a quantum leap in the field of discovering artistic talents in order to create a new generation of talented people in the areas of acting, directing, photography and writing.

Rateb previously pointed out that the academy also aims to maximize the cultural and artistic role of the academy. Sonbol Academy was built on an area of 20 acres and includes rare studios and paintings for senior artists, in addition to a unique theatre that can fit about 500 people.

Rateb added that they are planning to update all the studios to be equipped with the best technological methods, using modern equipment in photography, lighting and visual effects. Rateb also plans to introduce a number of specialists meant to better develop discovered talents.