Extended Biography

Laila Soliman (born in 1981) is an independent Egyptian theatre director and playwright, living in Cairo, but currently working wherever possible. She studied at the German School (DSB, Cairo) and obtained her BA in theatre at the American University in Cairo and her MA at Dasarts (AHK) in Amsterdam. She is currently a Visiting Associate Professor of Theater at New York University in Abu Dhabi.

Her work stems from an interest in the state of flux in the contemporary socio-political climate and its influence on individuals, relationships, and power structures. It relies on collective memories and personal histories as ways of bridging the gap between the official versions of events and intimate, individual experiences. Her performances have been shown in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, India, South Africa, and various countries in Europe. She also creates multidisciplinary projects that tie installation and theater together.

Among the most important works she has directed are "The Retreating World" (2004), "Ghorba, images of alienation" (2006), "...At your service!" (2009), "Spring Awakening in the Tuktuk" (2010), "No Time for Art 0/1/2/3" (2011-2013), "Hawa ELhorreya, Whims of Freedom" (2014), "The National Museum of the State Security System" (2015), "Zigzig" (2016), "Museum of Lungs" (2018), and "Wanaset Yodit" (2020).

Her first opera "Woman at Point 0" (2022) is currently touring internationally. Laila Soliman’s play "Egyptian Products" (2009) was published in the anthology Plays from the Arab World by Nick Hern Books and the Royal Court Theatre, London, and her performance texts "A Diary in Scenes: And don't forget never to wear tampons at a revolution!" (2011) and "No Desert Roses" (2017) were published in Theater der Zeit magazine.