Visa crisis takes centre stage at NAPA theatre festival

Organisers decide to reschedule performances of Indian artistes following delays in visa processing

KARACHI:

Organisers of an international theatre festival on Friday decided to reschedule the performances of Indian artistes following delays in visa processing.

The event, organised by Karachi’s National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa), includes four Indian plays – Kasumal Sapno, Museum of Species in Danger, Tum Kaun and Daddy. However, the festival’s organisers now believe they may be forced to replace the artistes if the problem is not resolved in time.

Napa Repertory Theatre’s artistic director Zain Ahmed told The Express Tribune that there has been a delay in the arrival of visas of Indian performers because of which Napa has to postpone the performances initially scheduled for Saturday.

He said ‘Kasumal Sapno’, a play by the Ujjagar Dramatic Association of India, has now been pushed forward and, visa issues permitting, will now be staged on March 29. Napa production Anjaam-e-Mohabbat will fill the spots vacated on March 14 and 15.

Despite this latest setback Ahmed remained optimistic. “It’s just a matter of delays and we are hoping that all of these problems will be sorted out soon enough, he said. He added that he had spoken to the director of Kasumal Sapno, Ajeet Singh Palawat, who still expressed a willingness to come and perform in the country albeit at a later date.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2015.