Laila Soliman

Laila Soliman (born in 1981) is an independent Egyptian director and playwright, based in Cairo and educated at the American University in Cairo (BA in Theatre) and at Dasart in Amsterdam. Laila Soliman has continually explored how contemporary socio-economic contexts impact personal trajectories, relationships and power structures. Drawing inspiration from collective memories and personal stories, her work seeks to bridge the gap between official narratives and intimate, personal experiences. Her works have been staged in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, India, South Africa and various European countries. Her most recent pieces include Zigzig (2016), Museum of Lungs (2018) and Wanaset Yodit (2020). Her first opera, Woman at Point Zero (2022), won the Fedora–Generali Prize for Opera. From 2022 to 2024, she was artist-in-residence and visiting associate professor of theatre at New York University Abu Dhabi. Story of… is her latest work. Several of her plays have been published in the anthology Plays from the Arab World by Nick Hern Books and the Royal Court Theatre in London, as well as in the magazine Theater der Zeit.