The festival will also include an acting workshop by Acting Wheel and children’s story-telling session by Toffee TV. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Last year, the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) gave its alumni something to rave about. The academy introduced a 10-day performing arts festival and encouraged young directors to use Napa’s in-house theatre as a platform to experiment. With sold-out shows, and mind-boggling performances, the festival was a success for all — including Karachiites who finally saw a breath of fresh air in performing arts. This year, the festival is back with a bigger bang, as Napa lights the stage for all drama lovers to attend the performances being held from March 21 to April 9.
“As per our promise, we are back with a bigger and better performing arts festival this year,” said Napa’s artistic director Zain Ahmed in a press conference last week.
In preparation for the 20-day festival, Napa reached out to artists nationwide; thespians like choreographer-director Nida Butt and young Rouvan Silogix and Ali Junejo also joined the bandwagon. A total of seven plays and four music shows will be presented at the festival, five of which are Napa productions. The other two plays include Butt’s rendition of Yasmin Reza’s comedy Carnage and Silogix and Junejo’s original play Man on a Black Horse.
“Although the plan was to take the festival national this time, pertaining to the current situation, we have spread out our wings within Karachi,” said Ahmed. “But we have invited other troupes to perform.” Ahmed also made it clear that Napa’s festival is for professionals, and not for amateurs, which is why they don’t engage with schools or colleges.
“The primary purpose of doing a festival like this is to provide a non-commercial environment for the people who do theatre for a living so that they can concentrate on the quality of the play rather than the quantity of people watching [them],” Ahmed added.
The festival will also include an acting workshop by Acting Wheel and children’s story-telling session by Toffee TV.
“I believe that it is the elders’ responsibility to make something for kids and that is why I’ll be a part of the children’s musical performances myself,” said the veteran musician and Napa’s senior faculty member Arshad Mehmud.
An interesting part of the festival is the live music segments. The concerts will feature the graduates of Napa’s music department with a mix of rock and folk renditions. The classical renditions will be a part of the festival being spearheaded by Ustaad Nafees Ahmed Khan, who is also the head of music department at Napa.
“Whenever we think of music, the first thing that comes to our mind is that we are not as good as India,” said Khan. “This is because we have ignored one of the finest pieces of performing arts related to our heritage. Through the efforts of our students we will try and bring back those master pieces.”
The faculty members of Napa have pledged to take this festival to the national level and soon after to an international level by involving theatre troupes around South East Asia. All the performances will be held at Napa’s auditorium.
2013 Napa’s performing arts festival schedule
March 21 to 22
7:30pm
Lao Tau Qatal Nama Mera: A comedy about police and media by the graduating batch of Napa
March 23
7:30pm
Sar Bureda Khawab: An adaptation of of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman by Sameena Nazir and Tariq Siddiqi
March 24
12pm
Story telling by Toffee TV: Stories and music for children between three to ten years of age
3:30pm
Afternoon raags by the music graduates of Napa
7:30pm
Sar Bureda Khwaaab
March 25 and 26
7:30pm
Rock concert by the music graduates of Napa
March 27 and 28
7:30pm
Man on a Black Horse: An original absurdist play by Rouvan Silogix and Ali Junejo
March 29
7:30pm
Khel EK Raat Ka: An intense look at the play of emotions between a man and a woman by Fawad Khan
March 30
5:30pm
Interactive acting and improvisation workshops by Acting Wheel
March 31
12pm
Story telling by Toffee TV: Stories and music for children between three to ten years of age
3:30pm
Afternoon Raags by the music graduates of NAPA
7:30 pm
Faraib: A story of love, friendship and betrayal that moves backwards in time by Uzma Sabeen
April 1
7:30pm
Faraib
April 2 and 3
7:30pm
Carnage: Nida Butt’s rendition of Yasmin Reza’s comedy about two couples
April 4 and 5
7:30pm
Fusion East meets West: Fusion performances by the music graduates of Napa
April 6
5:30 pm
Interactive acting and improvisation workshops by Acting Wheel
7:30pm
Marat/Sade: A play with in a play about the French Revolution set in a
mental asylum by Sunil Shankar
April 7
12pm
Story telling by Toffee TV: Stories and music for children between three to ten years of age
7:30pm
Marat/Sade
April 8 and 9
7:30pm
Easter geet and ghazal: Performance by the music graduates of Napa
Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2013.
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