in the Arab world that enjoyed "true freedom of expression," theatrical productions flourished in Lebanon in the 1960s. The National Theatre was founded in 1960, paving the way for the emergence of a number of theatrical troops, including the Rahbani brothers and their star, Fairuz. Le Théâtre de Dix-Heures, focusing on comedy, was established in 1962 by Gaston Chikhani, Pierre Gédéon, Abdallah Nabbout and Edmond Hanania. One of the most important plays of the decade was Issam Mahfouz's Zinzalakht, which was written in the Lebanese vernacular. Mahfouz is credited for sparking the creative elements of many playwrights and actors, such as Raymound Gebara, Jalal Khoury, Nidal Achkar, and Antoine Courbage. By the mid sixties, the Rahbani theatre had become very extravagant. It was reported that in order to stage the musical, Fakhr al-Din (1966), 200 performers, 30 dancers and a 30-piece orchestra were hired while the costumes alone cost 50,000 L.L. 1970s By the early seventies, at least five theatrical companies had gained mass appeal in Lebanon. Roger Assaf, Nidal Achkar, and Antoine and Latifa Multaka were experimenting with avant garde theatre in the early 1970s. The internationally renowned Caracalla Dance Theatre was founded in 1970. Romeo Lahoud produced a series of musicals starring, Salwa Al Katrib, such as Singof Singof in 1974 and Bint El Jabal in 1977. The Rahbani brothers also continued staging musicals, like Ya'ish Ya' ish (1970) and Sahh al-Nawm (1971), especially at the Piccadilly Theater on Hamra Street. 1980s Despite the war, theatrical productions continued albeit moving from Beirut to safer locations in the northern suburbs and the coastal city of Jounieh. A series of plays that centered around the folkloric character, the fool of Chanay, were produced by Nabih Abou Al Hosen and staged at the theatre of Casino du Liban. Also, Romeo Lahoud continued to produce musicals with Salwa Al Katrib and so did the Rahbani brothers who introduced new singers to the public, the sisters Ronza and Fadia Tomb. Present The majority of theatres in Lebanese are based in the capital The sons of Mansour Rahbani continued in the tradition of their father and have produced several musicals that were staged in Baalbeck, Byblos and overseas. Nidal Al Achkar established Al Madina Theater Association for Arts and Culture in 2005, renovating the Saroulla Cinema, which was built in the late sixties on Hamra Street, and turning it into a multidisciplinary platform. Al