| Abstract
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<p>Arab modernity, in theatre, is characterized by the foundational discourse that grew out of the encounter with European theatre and culture. Traditional types of dramatic representation, some even going back to the pre-Islamic period, were largely neglected by authors and critics, between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. They preferred to overlook the influence of popular Arabic theatre and reconnect to the ‘Italian’ theatre. Egyptian playwrights imported the structure of the plays, but they adapted it to the Arabic social context and used it for their own cultural project. This study deals with the themes, the reference samples and the characters, in their relationships with the Egyptian cultural field. After a presentation of the major models in the modern Arab theatre, I will focus on Naǧīb al-Rīḥānī in order to investigate which were the paradigmatic references and characters for one of the main actor and playwright of Egyptian modernity.</p>
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