โ€œStars, 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 Egyptโ€™s 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 Egyptโ€™s 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 โ€˜Cairo KitKat Clubโ€™, a Covid-Striptease

ู…ุดุฑูˆุน "ู†ุงุฏูŠ ุงู„ูƒูŠุช ูƒุงุช ุจุงู„ู‚ุงู‡ุฑุฉ" ู‡ูˆ ุฃุฏุงุก ูู†ูŠ ุฑู‚ู…ูŠ ุชุฌุฑูŠุจูŠ ุชู‚ูˆู… ุจู‡ "ู…ู†ุตุฉ ุญูŽ ุฑูŽ ูƒูŽ". ูŠุนูŠุฏ ู‡ุฐุง ุงู„ู…ุดุฑูˆุน ู…ุชุนุฏุฏ ุงู„ูˆุณุงุฆุท ุณุฑุฏ ุชุงุฑูŠุฎ ุงู„ูƒุจุงุฑูŠู‡ุงุช ูˆุงู„ุฃุฏุงุก ุงู„ูู†ูŠ ุงู„ู…ุฎููŠ ู…ู† ุฎู„ุงู„ ู‚ุตุฉ ู†ุงุฏูŠ "ุงู„ูƒูŠุช ูƒุงุช" ุงู„ู…ุตุฑูŠ ุงู„ุดู‡ูŠุฑ ุงู„ุฐูŠ ุชุฃุณุณ ููŠ ุงู„ู‚ุงู‡ุฑุฉ ููŠ ุงู„ู‚ุฑู† ุงู„ุชุงุณุน ุนุดุฑ ูˆู„ู… ูŠุนุฏ ู„ู‡ ูˆุฌูˆุฏ ุงู„ุขู†ุŒ ูˆู‚ุฏ ูƒุงู† ุงู„ูƒุจุงุฑูŠู‡ ูˆุฒุจุงุฆู†ู‡ ุงู„ุฏุงุฆู…ูˆู† ุดุงู‡ุฏูŠู† ุนู„ู‰ ู…ู…ุงุฑุณุงุช ุงู„ุฃุฏุงุก ุงู„ูู†ูŠ ุงู„ุซูˆุฑูŠ ู„ูู†ุงู†ูŠู† ู…ู† ู…ุตุฑ ูˆุฃู„ู…ุงู†ูŠุง ูˆุงู„ูˆู„ุงูŠุงุช ุงู„ู…ุชุญุฏุฉ ูˆูุฑู†ุณุง ุนู„ู‰ ุฎู„ููŠุฉ ุงู„ุงุญุชู„ุงู„ุงุช ุงู„ุงุณุชุนู…ุงุฑูŠุฉ ูˆุงู„ุชุฏู‡ูˆุฑ ุงู„ุญุถุฑูŠ ูˆุงู„ุฃู…ู„ ุงู„ุซูˆุฑูŠ

ูŠู†ุชู‚ู„ ู…ุดุฑูˆุน "ู†ุงุฏูŠ ุงู„ูƒูŠุช ูƒุงุช ุจุงู„ู‚ุงู‡ุฑุฉ" ุจูŠู† ุงู„ู…ุงุถูŠ ูˆุงู„ุญุงุถุฑ ู…ุชุฃู…ู„ู‹ุง ู…ุณุชู‚ุจู„ ุงู„ุฃุฏุงุก ุงู„ูู†ูŠ ููŠ ุนุงู„ู… ุชุดูƒู‘ู„ู‡ ุงู„ุญุฏูˆุฏ ูˆุงู„ุฃูˆุจุฆุฉ ูˆุงู„ุงู†ู‡ูŠุงุฑ ุงู„ู…ุงู„ูŠุŒ ูˆูŠู‚ุงุฑู† ุนุดุฑูŠู†ูŠุงุช ุงู„ู‚ู† ุงู„ู…ุงุถูŠ ุจุงู„ุญุงุถุฑ ูˆูŠู†ุธุฑ ุจุนูŠู† ุงู„ุจุญุซ ุฅู„ู‰ ุงู„ุชุฑููŠู‡ ููŠ ุธู„ ุงู„ุฃูˆุจุฆุฉ ูˆุงู„ุงู†ู‡ูŠุงุฑ ุงู„ู…ุงู„ูŠ ูˆุงู„ุญุฑูˆุจ

ุตููˆูู‘ุฑ ุงู„ู…ุดุฑูˆุน ุฃูŠุถู‹ุง ููŠ ู…ูˆุงู‚ุน ููŠ ุงู„ู‚ุงู‡ุฑุฉ ูˆู†ูŠูˆูŠูˆุฑูƒ ูˆุจุฑู„ูŠู†ุŒ ุจู…ุง ููŠ ุฐู„ูƒ ู…ูˆู‚ุน ู†ุงุฏูŠ ุงู„ูƒูŠุช ูƒุงุช ุงู„ู…ุตุฑูŠ ุงู„ู…ู†ุณูŠ ุงู„ุฐูŠ ุญู„ ู…ุญู„ู‡ ู…ู†ุฐ ุฐู„ูƒ ุงู„ุญูŠู† ู…ุญุทุฉ ุญุงูู„ุงุช ูˆู…ุณุฌุฏ ูˆู…ุญุทุฉ ู…ุชุฑูˆ ุฌุฏูŠุฏุฉ ูˆููŠ ู…ุณุฑุญ ุฅูŠู„ูŠู† ุณุชูŠูˆุงุฑุช ุงู„ุดู‡ูŠุฑ La MaMa ETC (ููŠ ู…ุฏูŠู†ุฉ ู†ูŠูˆูŠูˆุฑูƒ) ูˆู†ุงุฏูŠ ุงู„ูƒูŠุช ูƒุงุช ููŠ ุจุฑู„ูŠู†ุŒ ูˆู‡ูŠ ุงู„ู…ุฑุฉ ุงู„ุฃูˆู„ู‰ ุงู„ุชูŠ ุณูู…ูุญูŽ ููŠู‡ุง ุจุฏุฎูˆู„ ุงู„ูƒุงู…ูŠุฑุงุช ุฅู„ู‰ ู‡ุฐุง ุงู„ู…ู„ู‡ู‰ ุงู„ู„ูŠู„ูŠ ุงู„ุดู‡ูŠุฑ

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 โ€˜Cairo 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 Berlinโ€™s 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 โ€˜club 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, Cairoโ€™s 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.

ู†ุธุฑู‹ุง ู„ุฃู†ู‡ ูŠุจุญุซ ููŠ ู…ุงุถูŠ ุงู„ุญูŠุงุฉ ุงู„ู„ูŠู„ูŠุฉ ูˆูƒูŠู ุชุชุดุงุจูƒ ู…ุน ุงู„ุณูŠุงุณุฉ ูˆุงู„ุฃุณุฑุงุฑ ูˆุงู„ุฃูƒุงุฐูŠุจ ุŒ ู†ุธุฑ ุงู„ู…ุดุฑูˆุน ุฅู„ู‰ ุงู„ุนู„ุงู‚ุฉ ุจูŠู† ุงู„ุชุฑููŠู‡ ูˆุงู„ุชู†ู…ูŠุฉ ุงู„ุญุถุฑูŠุฉ ุงู„ู‡ุงุฆู„ุฉ ูˆุงู„ู‡ุฌุฑุฉ ููŠ ุชุดูƒูŠู„ ู…ุดู‡ุฏ ุงู„ู…ู„ู‡ู‰ ุงู„ู„ูŠู„ูŠ ููŠ ุงู„ู‚ุฑู†ูŠู† ุงู„ุชุงุณุน ุนุดุฑ ูˆุงู„ุนุดุฑูŠู† ููŠ ู…ุฏู† ู…ุซู„ ุงู„ู‚ุงู‡ุฑุฉ ุฃูˆ ุจุฑู„ูŠู† ุฃูˆ ู†ูŠูˆูŠูˆุฑูƒ. ูŠู‚ุน ุงู„ูƒูŠุชูƒุงุช ููŠ ุงู„ู‚ุงู‡ุฑุฉ ููŠ ุนุงู„ู… ูŠุญุฏุฏู‡ ูˆุจุงุก ุงู„ุฃู†ูู„ูˆู†ุฒุง ุงู„ุฅุณุจุงู†ูŠุฉ ูˆุฌูŠู„ ู…ุง ุจูŠู† ุงู„ุญุฑุจูŠู† ุงู„ุฐูŠ ูŠุญุฏู‡ ุงู„ุชุบูŠูŠุฑ ุงู„ุงู‚ุชุตุงุฏูŠ ูˆุงู„ุณูŠุงุณูŠ ุŒ ูˆูŠู‚ูˆู… ุชุงุฑูŠุฎ ุงู„ู…ู„ู‡ู‰ ุจุชุฐูƒูŠุฑู†ุง ุจุชุงุฑูŠุฎู†ุง ุงู„ู…ุนุงุตุฑุŒ ุญูŠุซ ู†ุชุตุงุฑุน ู…ุน ู…ุณุชู‚ุจู„ ุงู„ุฃุฏุงุก ูˆุงู„ุชุฑููŠู‡ ููŠ ุนุงู„ู… ูŠุนุงู†ูŠ ู…ู† ูˆุจุงุก ุนุงู„ู…ูŠ ุŒ ูˆุงู„ุนุฏูŠุฏ ู…ู† ุงู„ูƒูˆุงุฑุซ ุงู„ุงู‚ุชุตุงุฏูŠุฉ ูˆุงู„ุณูŠุงุณูŠุฉ

Cairo 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

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