Studio ElMadina

Background

Three years after ElMadina Studio was closed, this name still exists in the memory of artists and civil society not only in Alexandria, but in Egypt as a whole. Now, after three years and seven more years since this project began, the reality has changed a lot, as Artistic and cultural spaces have spread widely. Of course, the situation hasn’t been like that for seven years. There’s been no special space to mention, but you would have heard of a place here or there, but it wasn’t not a viable model.

ElMadina Studio is the perfect model, and why we think that it’s a successful experience and a practice that has dramatically changed cultural and artistic realities? Well! Let’s go back to the beginning of the story, which had to be fully integrated into the artistic, cultural and civic spheres in order to make it work.

The experience of ElMadina Studio began as part of a broader strategic plan in having a market for performing and digital arts in Alexandria and Egypt and creating a new kind of cultural economy, enabling artists to create a new kind of cultural economy, and empower them in planning their future and their freedom to produce knowledge without waiting for government or capital decisions. Perhaps the idea of artistic spaces and their widespread dissemination now seems to be the only idea left over from the Arab Spring Revolutions. Culture has the potential to stimulate change, since art and culture are the soft power of peaceful resistance.

Created by Banan Fathy

What's ElMadina Studio?

ElMadina Studio is an area of 400 meters in downtown Alexandria. It was founded in 2011 in a heritage building of a distinctive architectural nature. The studio has a number of multipurpose halls. The aim of the project was to solve the problem of training and production spaces, alternative spaces for performance and networking through the deployment of an innovative model, based on management continuity based on a small group and flexible management methods involved in planning and programming of beneficiary groups, capable of financial sustainability by relying on income generated by different activities.

The aim of the studio project is to disseminate performing arts and multimedia to a wider audience to enable youth groups to produce and sustain to support the economy to play a pivotal role in sustainable development, human rights and social change.

Many activities are carried out in different halls, such as artistic training (theatre, dance, fine arts), photography, various workshops, small meetings, conferences and lectures, whether they are artistic, youth initiatives or civil society institutions. ElMadina Studio is a collective and interactive work space that hosts a number of young people’s start-up institutions or businesses for six months. The studio adopts a flexible method of programming and hosting events, always giving other groups the opportunity to participate in the development of the monthly program themselves.

Studio programs

Support Programs:

Space for productions, workshops and meetings with affordable prices.

Training Programs:

Permanent workshops in performing arts and cultural management.

Changing Activities:

Hosting performances or readings of literary works.

Private Studio:

Artists with training experience are encouraged to start their own studio.

Four Walls: An annual meeting of chamber arts, Read more

Studio ElMadina Brief

The project targeted artists in Alexandria, and after four years of hard work, the project achieved its goals by spreading the idea, opening in Alexandria about ten more spaces influenced by the ElMadina Association’s model.

During the last four years of the studio, close to 170 cultural and artistic events took place in Studio ElMadina, a number of popular areas in Alexandria and other cities, and trained 350 artists on Storytelling, Street Theatre, Reportage Theatre, Stage and Film Acting, Filmmaking, Glass Ornamentation, as well as various workshops on dancing.

Studio ElMadina also hosted rehearsals, workshops, theatre performances and meetings of approximately 120 Art Groups, independent Initiatives and various institutions, in 7150 working hours as a whole.

Testimonials

We (Taraha) as an inititave was influenced by ElMadina studio as it has had a great impact on its transformation from an initiative to an Association with a legal form. In addition to creating the idea itself for 6 months. We went through practical experiences through being involved in the event (Live by Art). We then participated in organizing another event (Fe Meno Regaly). The idea of containing initiatives and providing support to young people and artists has had a significant impact on the formation of an important aspect of our work and participation in the field

Ezza Mandour
Director of the (Torraha) Foundation

ElMadina Studio is a leading in the formation of independent cultural and technical space, which allowed some to break in and experiment, and it was met with success

Hossam Al Azazi
Theatrical and Television Director

ElMadina studio is a groundbreaking experience in the field of independent art and has made a significant difference, leading many of those interested in cultural work to recreate it in many places, particularly in Alexandria, which has allowed many artists and cultural actors to practice their experiences more freely and productively. Economically, it has changed the concepts of the economics of artistic and cultural creativity and led many professionals to think more deeply about the concept of investing in cultural work and its usefulness

Sabry Sleem
Director, Researcher and Development Project Manager

ElMadina studio, a sunshine on the art scene, was set in motion by planets and moons that lit up in the community. It produced many events and a lot of creators. It left its impact in hearts and souls. ElMadina studio left a great impact on me, and I benefited a lot from its workshops, and, most of all, it was the family and the great home of all of Alexandria's creators in the fields of culture and arts

Mohamed Abd El Wahed
Theatre Artist

ElMadina is home to all types of arts and all age groups of both sexes. More importantly, the place is where a Muslim and a Christian have collaborated as friends and fellow artists as a heart of one man at the very top of reputable ethics and creativity, as well as organized, conscious management

Amr Muhammadi
Theatre Artist

About ElMadina Studio experience... To speak as a theatre artist and one of the founders of a theatre group... The place was the most important thing about order and freedom... Support and counselling all the time not just a space to be rented. It was a very important point for a lot of young artists with no place to perform... His faith in young people and his help inspired and supported them and helped them with important projects and new experiences. We have the capacity to lead and manage culture in one way or another. In addition to the moral support as if it was our second home... It's considered from my point of view to be the most important model experience I've ever learned from. Thanks, ElMadina Studio

Mohamed El Suevi
Founder of the Joanna Arts Initiative and Space

I'm a Syrian resident of Egypt, through the studio I was able to work in dance workshops, design theater dance performances, street dance shows, and I made good income from them. The studio gave me space to deploy to my work in and out of Alexandria

Ahmed Trap
A Syrian choreographer living in Alexandria

ElMadina, inspired me through the storytelling workshops, multimedia, the street theater, and the writing lab. It influenced me greatly on the personal level and writing level

Mokhtar Shehata
Novelist and Filmmaker

In Loving Memory of

The Actor and Theatrical Director

Amr El Mohamady