As the curtain rose for the evening performance at Cairo Opera House, the cast did not assemble for the opening prelude of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida as they had on previous nights. Instead, more than 300 actors, dancers and theater staff filled the stage, wearing full costume and clutching protest signs. Addressing the audience, conductor Nayer Nagi announced: “In a stand against a detailed plan to destroy culture and fine arts in Egypt, we abstain from performing tonight’s opera.” Following a spate of sackings within Egypt’s culture ministry, a new political battleground has emerged in the country’s opera houses and theaters....