El Warsha Theatre Troupe

Laila Samy joined El Warsha Theatre Troupe in Cairo at the age of fifteen, becoming the youngest member of the ensemble. From 1995 to 2003, she trained in all the fundamentals of acting, performance, and folk singing through the troupe’s extensive workshops and Rehearsals. Over seven years, she took part in numerous training programmes led by both Arab and international theatre practitioners, gaining diverse experience in performance-making and ensemble work.

During her years with El Warsha, she performed the role of Shiha in Spinning Lives (Ghazal Al-Aʿmar), which toured for several years across Egyptian, Arab, and international festivals, and took part in El Warsha Evenings (Layali El Warsha), a series of performances presented over seven years. Her final performance with the troupe was Halawet El Donya, staged in France as part of the Collectif 12 theatre festival. Through El Warsha, Laila also received training in storytelling and later facilitated creative workshops for children and young people.

Archival photos and video footage from the workshops, productions and rehearsals are preserved at El Warsha Theatre Troupe’s archive in Cairo.