KARACHI :
National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) is back with its annual international theater and music festival. It will take place from March 16 to April 2. The event will have 24 performances featuring local theater productions as well as international ones.
Napa artistic director, Zain Ahmed while addressing the media at a press conference on March 9 said:
“We started this International Theatre Festival in 2012 with six plays. This year, we will have a record 24 performances. This is the biggest festival we have ever organised.”
Napa programmes director Arshad Mehmood said one of the motives behind the festival is to make more people come to watch theatre.
“We would like to see more people inclined towards arts and artists, who showcase their talents on the stage. We want people to break out of their television-watching routines and put down the remotes. We hope to achieve that through the festival.”
The 18-day festival will include five music performances and five plays by international participants from Italy, Nepal, Germany, the United States and Palestine.
Zain shared:
“This is possibly the first time that I’m aware of, that a Palestinian theatre group will be performing in Pakistan.”
He also said that Napa had planned to invite troupes from India as well but decided against it in light of the recent tensions between the two countries.
