NAPA Repertory Festival 2026 opens with vibrant celebration

Event to feature high quality stage productions by Pakistani artists

KARACHI:

The National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) has officially launched its Repertory Festival 2026, bringing a colourful celebration of theatre to Karachi. The festival, running from May 8 to May 23 at the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre, will feature a series of thought-provoking and highquality stage productions showcasing the talent of Pakistan’s theatre artists. The opening night featured the acclaimed play Annapurna, presented in an Urdu adaptation by Noreen Gulwani. The performance received an enthusiastic response from theatre lovers and art enthusiasts in attendance. The play explored themes of human relationships, dreams, and inner emotional conflict, with actors delivering compelling performances that resonated strongly with the audience. Viewers praised the production for its emotional depth and engaging storytelling. The National Academy of Performing Arts is a performing arts school located at Hindu Gymkhana in Karachi. NAPA was established in 2005 as an institution to conserve and teach performing arts and music. At NAPA, the students of music derive benefit from being taught by a faculty consisting of practicing musicians, musicologists and visiting maestros. They will also have the opportunity to enrich their repertoire of compositions and styles by tutelage under many teachers. The Theatre Arts department will offer students academic courses in all aspects of the theatre as well as practical exploration and the opportunity to present their work before an audience. Zia Mohyeddin was the founding Chairman of NAPA. He was asked by Pervez Musharraf, then the President of Pakistan, to establish and lead a national institution for arts and music. Besides being the founder and former chairman of NAPA, he had impeccable credentials. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he spent a lifetime dedicated to the theatre, films and television, appearing in many local and foreign productions. He had also performed in numerous Broadway and West End plays. He also produced and directed extensively. In December 2018, The Supreme Court of Pakistan had directed the Sindh government to shift NAPA to another location from this Hindu Gymkhana building but, as of 11 February 2020, compliance to this directive could not be made and NAPA