โStars, spies, and sultans at the clubโ
Cairo KitKat Club shuttles between the past and the present, reflecting on the future of performance in a world shaped by borders, pandemics and financial collapse.
Cairo KitKat Club is a live, experimental, digital performance by the HaRaKa Platform. This multi-media project retells the history of cabaret and clandestine performance through the story of Egyptโs KitKat Club, the now-demolished, infamous nightclub established in 19th century Cairo. The cabaret and its patrons witnessed the radical performance practices of artists from Egypt, Germany, the US and France against a backdrop of colonialist conquests, urban decay and revolutionary hope.
The project was shot on location in Cairo, NYC, and Berlin, including the forgotten site of Egyptโs KitKat Club, which has since been replaced with a bus station, mosque, and new subway station, the iconic Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa ETC (NYC), and the KitKat Club in Berlin - the first time cameras have been allowed in the notorious nightclub.
Mona Gamil, Lamia Gouda, Adham Hafez, performing at โCairo KitKat Clubโ, a Covid-Striptease
ู ุดุฑูุน "ูุงุฏู ุงูููุช ูุงุช ุจุงููุงูุฑุฉ" ูู ุฃุฏุงุก ููู ุฑูู ู ุชุฌุฑูุจู ุชููู ุจู "ู ูุตุฉ ุญู ุฑู ูู". ูุนูุฏ ูุฐุง ุงูู ุดุฑูุน ู ุชุนุฏุฏ ุงููุณุงุฆุท ุณุฑุฏ ุชุงุฑูุฎ ุงููุจุงุฑููุงุช ูุงูุฃุฏุงุก ุงูููู ุงูู ุฎูู ู ู ุฎูุงู ูุตุฉ ูุงุฏู "ุงูููุช ูุงุช" ุงูู ุตุฑู ุงูุดููุฑ ุงูุฐู ุชุฃุณุณ ูู ุงููุงูุฑุฉ ูู ุงููุฑู ุงูุชุงุณุน ุนุดุฑ ููู ูุนุฏ ูู ูุฌูุฏ ุงูุขูุ ููุฏ ูุงู ุงููุจุงุฑูู ูุฒุจุงุฆูู ุงูุฏุงุฆู ูู ุดุงูุฏูู ุนูู ู ู ุงุฑุณุงุช ุงูุฃุฏุงุก ุงูููู ุงูุซูุฑู ูููุงููู ู ู ู ุตุฑ ูุฃูู ุงููุง ูุงูููุงูุงุช ุงูู ุชุญุฏุฉ ููุฑูุณุง ุนูู ุฎูููุฉ ุงูุงุญุชูุงูุงุช ุงูุงุณุชุนู ุงุฑูุฉ ูุงูุชุฏููุฑ ุงูุญุถุฑู ูุงูุฃู ู ุงูุซูุฑู
ููุชูู ู ุดุฑูุน "ูุงุฏู ุงูููุช ูุงุช ุจุงููุงูุฑุฉ" ุจูู ุงูู ุงุถู ูุงูุญุงุถุฑ ู ุชุฃู ููุง ู ุณุชูุจู ุงูุฃุฏุงุก ุงูููู ูู ุนุงูู ุชุดูููู ุงูุญุฏูุฏ ูุงูุฃูุจุฆุฉ ูุงูุงูููุงุฑ ุงูู ุงููุ ูููุงุฑู ุนุดุฑูููุงุช ุงููู ุงูู ุงุถู ุจุงูุญุงุถุฑ ูููุธุฑ ุจุนูู ุงูุจุญุซ ุฅูู ุงูุชุฑููู ูู ุธู ุงูุฃูุจุฆุฉ ูุงูุงูููุงุฑ ุงูู ุงูู ูุงูุญุฑูุจ
ุตููููุฑ ุงูู ุดุฑูุน ุฃูุถูุง ูู ู ูุงูุน ูู ุงููุงูุฑุฉ ููููููุฑู ูุจุฑูููุ ุจู ุง ูู ุฐูู ู ููุน ูุงุฏู ุงูููุช ูุงุช ุงูู ุตุฑู ุงูู ูุณู ุงูุฐู ุญู ู ุญูู ู ูุฐ ุฐูู ุงูุญูู ู ุญุทุฉ ุญุงููุงุช ูู ุณุฌุฏ ูู ุญุทุฉ ู ุชุฑู ุฌุฏูุฏุฉ ููู ู ุณุฑุญ ุฅูููู ุณุชููุงุฑุช ุงูุดููุฑ La MaMa ETC (ูู ู ุฏููุฉ ูููููุฑู) ููุงุฏู ุงูููุช ูุงุช ูู ุจุฑูููุ ููู ุงูู ุฑุฉ ุงูุฃููู ุงูุชู ุณูู ูุญู ูููุง ุจุฏุฎูู ุงููุงู ูุฑุงุช ุฅูู ูุฐุง ุงูู ููู ุงููููู ุงูุดููุฑ
Opera singer Ohoude Khadr reenacting famous cabaret personas from the late 19th and early 20th century
Archival map of Downtown Cairo, seen during a lecture-performance by American urbanist Adam Kucharski during โCairo KitKat Clubโ
The project is developed through Cairo Critical Cabaret, a performance lab initiated by HaRaKa Platform, experimenting with the form and history of cabaret through the staging of artistic objects, processes, and interventions. The research was conducted in London, Cairo, Berlin, and New York. It includes recently declassified MI5 files, oral histories from the KitKat neighborhood in Cairo, and chronicles of intergenerational clubbing within Cairo, New York, and Berlinโs nightlife as we face a contemporary moment devoid of theatres, cabarets, or clubs globally since March 2020
As it investigates the past of nightlife and clandestine performance, and how intertwined with politics, secrets and lies, the project looked at the relation between entertainment, massive urban development, and immigration in shaping the โclub sceneโ of the 19th and 20th centuries in cities like Cairo, Berlin or New York. Set within a world defined by the Spanish flu pandemic and an interwar generation defining economic and political change, Cairoโs KitKat becomes a stand-in for our world today, as we grapple with the future of performance and entertainment in a world hit by a global pandemic, and multiple economic and political catastrophes.
ูุธุฑูุง ูุฃูู ูุจุญุซ ูู ู
ุงุถู ุงูุญูุงุฉ ุงูููููุฉ ูููู ุชุชุดุงุจู ู
ุน ุงูุณูุงุณุฉ ูุงูุฃุณุฑุงุฑ ูุงูุฃูุงุฐูุจ ุ ูุธุฑ ุงูู
ุดุฑูุน ุฅูู ุงูุนูุงูุฉ ุจูู ุงูุชุฑููู ูุงูุชูู
ูุฉ ุงูุญุถุฑูุฉ ุงููุงุฆูุฉ ูุงููุฌุฑุฉ ูู ุชุดููู ู
ุดูุฏ ุงูู
ููู ุงููููู ูู ุงููุฑููู ุงูุชุงุณุน ุนุดุฑ ูุงูุนุดุฑูู ูู ู
ุฏู ู
ุซู ุงููุงูุฑุฉ ุฃู ุจุฑููู ุฃู ูููููุฑู. ููุน ุงูููุชูุงุช ูู ุงููุงูุฑุฉ ูู ุนุงูู
ูุญุฏุฏู ูุจุงุก ุงูุฃูููููุฒุง ุงูุฅุณุจุงููุฉ ูุฌูู ู
ุง ุจูู ุงูุญุฑุจูู ุงูุฐู ูุญุฏู ุงูุชุบููุฑ ุงูุงูุชุตุงุฏู ูุงูุณูุงุณู ุ ููููู
ุชุงุฑูุฎ ุงูู
ููู ุจุชุฐููุฑูุง ุจุชุงุฑูุฎูุง ุงูู
ุนุงุตุฑุ ุญูุซ ูุชุตุงุฑุน ู
ุน ู
ุณุชูุจู ุงูุฃุฏุงุก ูุงูุชุฑููู ูู ุนุงูู
ูุนุงูู ู
ู ูุจุงุก ุนุงูู
ู ุ ูุงูุนุฏูุฏ ู
ู ุงูููุงุฑุซ ุงูุงูุชุตุงุฏูุฉ ูุงูุณูุงุณูุฉCairo KitKat Club
Conceived, choreographed, and directed by: Adham Hafez
Performance, research, composition by: Mona Gamil, Lamia Gouda, Ohoude Khadr, Cindy Sibilsky, Adam Kucharski, Adham Hafez
Guest stars: Nicky Paraiso (New York), Amie Sultan (Cairo), Ohoude Khadr (Berlin), Fadi J. Khoury (New York)
Urban history research: Adam Kucharski
Senior experts: Ashraf Gharib, Raph Cormack
Music compositions: Mona Gamil
Technical director and production management: Mido Sadek
Mask designs and styling: YASHMASK, Lamia Gouda
Cairo film artist: Monty Bayoud
Berlin film artist: Mariam Mekiwi
Video and sound editing: Mona Gamil, Adham Hafez
Film Editor and Post production: Waad Taai
Project interlocutor: Cindy Sibilsky
Visual consultant: Shayma Aziz
Cluborators and Berlin research: Layal Seifan, Zee Hartman, Yara Seifan
Technical team at La Mama Theatre New York: Juan Merchan, Marielle Iljazoski
Initial script dramaturgy: Leyla Rabih
Initial research: Sara Soumaya Abed
Berlin scenes: Filmed at the KitKat Club