A Conversation with Nidal Al-Ashkar

In this episode, Ricardo sits down with Nidal Al-Ashkar for a very special conversation. Nidal Al-Ashkar is among the most influential women to shape the cultural landscape of Lebanon and the Arab world. Much of the development of theatre in Beirut is attributed to her efforts, which culminated in the establishment of “The Beirut Theatre Workshop” in the late 1960s and the “Arab Actors” theatre company in the mid-70s. In 1994, after renovating a historic cinema in Beirut and making it available to Lebanese civil society, she founded there a cultural centre, Masrah Al-Madina, which quickly became the epicenter for cultural and artistic events in Beirut. Nidal tapped into the world of theatre, poetry, politics and many other art forms.