Nidal Al Achkar (; born 4 October 1941) is a Lebanese actress and founder/director of the Al-Madina Theatre in Beirut.

Personal life

Nidal was born in

Dik El Mehdi Dik El Mehdi () is a village, at 325 meters elevation, in the Matn District governorate of Mount Lebanon.Matn District Matn (, '), 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 Jdeideh (followed to Jdeideh, ...

Mount Lebanon Governorate Mount Lebanon Governorate () is one of the nine governorates of Lebanon, of which it is the most populous. Its capital is Baabda. Other notable towns and cities include Aley, Bikfaya, and Beit Mery. This governorate is named after the mount ...

. She is the daughter of Asad Al Achkar, the

Syrian Social Nationalist Party The Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP; ) is a Syrian nationalist party operating in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. It advocates the establishment of a Greater Syrian nation state spanning the Fertile Crescent, including present-day Syria, Leb ...

politician. Her younger brother,

Ghassan The Ghassanids, also known as the Jafnids, were an Arab tribe. Originally from South Arabia, they migrated to the Levant in the 3rd century and established what would eventually become a Christian kingdom under the aegis of the Byzantine Empir ...

, is also a member of SSNP. She studied at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In 1967 she directed her first play in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, 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 rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

and openness.

Achievements

*In 1997, Nidal received the honor of

Chevalier De L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The 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 the recognition of significant co ...

by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

. *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 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 The National Order of the Cedar () is the highest Order (honour), state order of Lebanon, established on 31 December 1936. It is offered in five grades. History The Order was created on the 31 December 1936, but is regulated by the Lebanese C ...

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; ) is a secular private American university with campuses in Beirut, Byblos, and New York. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York and is recognized by the Lebane ...

, and

Antonine University The Université Antonine (UA) is a private university in Lebanon, administered by the Antonin Maronite Order. History Founded in 1996, Université Antonine (Antonine University) is a private higher education institution located in the small c ...

. 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 Lebanese Maronites People from Matn District Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art