Behind the curtain of Lebanon’s acting industry

The lights go down. A young actor takes a breath, steps onto the stage and delivers their lines to a room full of people. For a few minutes, they are exactly where they have always wanted to be. Then the curtain closes, the applause fades, and the question returns: When will I get to do this again?

Lebanon has a generation of young performers who are trained, ambitious and eager to build careers, yet the entertainment industry remains a relatively small and competitive space. Limited production opportunities, financial challenges and a lack of visibility can make it difficult for emerging actors to find their way into the industry. For many, this can turn the beginning of a career into a long period of waiting.

Viviane Antonios: Opening doors for the next generation

For established Lebanese actress Viviane Antonios, the issue is visible from the other side of the industry.

Antonios has been working to create opportunities for young performers through her academy, Maison d'Art. Rather than limiting her role to teaching acting, she has helped create theatre productions in which students can perform on stage, while inviting the press to discover emerging talent. She has also encouraged production companies to hold castings at the academy and to look at universities and other spaces where new performers can be found.

She believes production companies should have people actively looking for new performers visiting theatres and universities rather than repeatedly relying on familiar faces. She recalls that when she was beginning her own career, casting opportunities could take place within universities, giving young actors a chance to be discovered.

She also points to the size of the Lebanese market. In her view, the country's limited production capacity cannot provide enough work for all the actors available, leaving many talented performers at home despite their abilities.

Today, many of the familiar faces dominating Lebanese screens and stages belong to an older generation of actors who have had the opportunity to establish themselves over the years. As Antonios points out, only a small number of young actors have become widely recognized, while many others remain largely unknown despite their talent and training. She believes the Lebanese industry needs to make more room for young performers and actively search for new faces, rather than allowing the same names to dominate the scene.

Pia Khalil: “They’re not rejected. They’re unknown.”

Young theatre performer Pia Khalil knows what it means to work within these limitations. Her recent theatrical work, Rahlat Hanzala, produced by Théâtre Le Monnot, received eight nominations and won three awards, including Best Directing, Best Adaptation and Revelation of the Year for Khalil. Despite that recognition, she describes the path for young actors entering Lebanese theatre as far from straightforward.

According to Khalil, one of the biggest problems is the limited number of theatre spaces and productions. She explains that the small number of theatres in Lebanon naturally affects how many plays can be produced and who gets the chance to participate. But the bigger problem may be how actors are discovered.

When asked about young actors being rejected and remaining unseen, Khalil made an important distinction: “They’re not rejected. They’re unknown.” In theatre, she says, auditions are relatively uncommon. Instead, productions often operate through existing groups and personal networks, with actors being recommended through people who already know one another.

And when asked directly whether connections play a major role, her answer was simple: “100%.” For young performers without those networks, one alternative is to create their own work but that comes with another obstacle: money. Independent artists may want to produce their own plays, yet securing funding can be difficult.

Khalil's own experience reflects that contradiction. She describes producing theatre as difficult because young artists can end up carrying responsibility for almost every part of a production. Yet, for her, creating their own work can also be one of the few ways young artists can enter the professional market.

And visibility matters. Khalil points out that theatre is largely concentrated in Beirut, while television can reach audiences across Lebanon simply through the screen at home. The difference means that a talented theatre performer may have a much smaller audience discovering their work.

Making room for new faces

The stories of Khalil and Antonios point to the same question: How can an industry discover new talent if that talent is rarely given the chance to be seen?

The answer is not necessarily to replace established actors. A successful industry needs experienced performers, but it also needs a path for the next generation to enter. More open casting opportunities, stronger links between production companies, universities and theatre spaces, greater visibility for theatre productions and more support for young artists could help create that path.

There is also something worth remembering: young actors are not simply waiting for the industry to change. Many are already creating, performing and finding their own ways to stay in the field. Their work shows that the next generation is here; what remains is to give it the space, support and opportunities to grow.

Somewhere in Lebanon, there is probably another young actor rehearsing their lines, perfecting their craft and waiting for someone to notice. They may not need another reason to keep dreaming. They may simply need someone to open the door.