Nidal Al Achkar (born 1941) is a Lebanese actress and theater director, hailed as "The Grande Dame of Lebanese Theater".

Personal life

Nidal was born in

Dik El Mehdi Dik El Mehdi ( ar, ديك المحدي) is a village, at 325 meters elevation, in the Matn District governorate of Mount Lebanon Governorate, Mount Lebanon.

Matn District Matn ( ar, قضاء المتن, '), sometimes spelled Metn (or preceded by the article El, as in El Matn), is a district (''qadaa'') in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of Lebanon, east of the Lebanon's capital Beirut. The district capital is Jd ...

Mount Lebanon Governorate french: Gouvernorat du Mont-Liban , native_name_lang = , image_map = Administrative divisions of Lebanon 2017-08 (Numbered).png , map_caption = The governorates of Lebanon, including Mount Lebanon (in pink, label ...

. She studied at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In 1967 she directed her first play in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, and went on to found the Beirut Theatre Workshop in the late 1960s. Nidal Al Achkar is married to Fouad Naïm and is mother of Omar Naim and Khaled Naïm.

Career

After Nidal graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), her encounter and training with John Littlewood changed her vision about theatre. She founded “The Beirut Theatre Workshop” in 1968. In 1984, Nidal Al-Achkar established the “Arab Actors” theatre company; it was the first troupe of artist found from 13 different Arab countries. She is currently the founder chairperson and artistic director of Masrah Al-Madina Cultural and Arts Center. The Center is composed of two performance areas, a training section, an exhibition hall, and a coffee shop. Both Nidal and Masrah Al-Madina aim to continue to promote culture, art, and artists, and through them to inspire change and instill new values. In a 2019 interview she warned that it was impossible to have theater in the Arab world without "real, transformative revolutions" which would allow

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

and openness.

Achievements

*In 1997, Nidal received the honor of

Chevalier De L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, ...

. *In 2012, Nidal received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the

Murex d'Or The Murex d'Or (also known as the Golden Murex award) is a Lebanon, Lebanese award created by two Lebanon, Lebanese physicians, Zahi and Fadi Helou to recognize achievements in the domain of art in Lebanon, the Arab world, Arab region and the wor ...

. Presenting the award, Lebanese Minister of Culture

Gabi Layyoun Gaby Emile Layoun (born 1 November 1964, Zahle) was the Lebanese Minister of Culture, announced as part of the cabinet led by Najib Mikati. He represents the Free Patriotic Movement. Layoun is married and has two children. He holds a diploma in ...

called her "Lebanon's true expression of enlightenment and culture".Nidal Al Ashkar receives Lebanon culture award
June 24, 2012. Accessed 10 March 2020. *Nidal also received high cultural honors from the Tunisian president. *Nidal was honored with numerous awards and knighthood in Lebanon, most notably, The

National Order of the Cedar National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

from the president of the Lebanese Republic (2016), and the ''Silver Lebanese order of Merit'' (2019). *She was honored by several Lebanese universities like

Lebanese American University The Lebanese American University (LAU) ( ar, الجامعة اللبنانية الأميركية) is a secular and private American university located in Lebanon. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New Y ...

, and

Antonine University Antonine University (UA) is a Lebanese Catholic university committed to offer quality education, to promote inter-disciplinary and contextualized research, and to enhance the sustainable wellbeing of its local and global communities. Its graduates ...

. The minister of culture launched the "Nidal Al Achkar Annual Prize" for performing arts in Choueifat theatre 2018.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Achkar, Nidal 1941 births Living people Lebanese stage actresses Lebanese theatre directors