LAHORE: A four-day theatre international festival being organised by the Maas Foundation will open at Alhamra Cultural Complex, Gaddafi Stadium, on Wednesday (today).

The festival is aimed at presenting a soft image of Pakistan through creative art in front of international artistes in the first theatre event of its kind in Lahore after 16 years. The festival would continue till May 11at multiple venues.

The Maas Foundation is organising the festival in partnership with the University of Central Punjab (UCP) and The City School Network. It would be held at the Alhamra Cultural Complex, Gaddafi Stadium, the UCP and different campuses of The City School Network. The festival is supported by Ambassade de France au Pakistan & Alliance Française de Lahore.

It will feature six international theatre performances performed by the actors from England, France, Wales, Mongolia and Estonia while theatre workshops would also be led by experts

from Austria, England and Pakistan. Five performances from Pakistan include those by the Maas Foundation, UCP Dramatics Club, TFT (BNU) and Sangat, Lahore.

Five panel discussions are also a part of the festival about burning issues regarding theatre, featuring Salima Hashmi, Sarmad Khoosat, Navid Shahzad, Dr Omer Adil, Goshi Khan, Nasir Adeeb, Rashid Mahmood, Marhoom Ahmad Bilal, Kanwal Khoosat, Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi and Amna Mufti. Twenty delegates from various countries are participating in the festival.

The festival will be inaugurated by Mashal Malik, former Minister of Human Rights and Women Empowerment. In the opening ceremony, the Maas Foundation would also give a lifetime achievement award to veteran theatre actor and director Sarfraz Ansari for his services to theatre.

Speaking to Dawn, Amir Nawaz of the Maas Theater says the festival is happening in Lahore after 16 years under the slogan “Let’s Move Together”. He adds that besides performances and theatre workshops, four talks on theatre-related topics would also be held along a seminar.

The best part of the festival is that there is something for people of every age, including children, youth, and adults, says Nawaz.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2024