The slots, now open due to postponement of the Indian plays, will be filled by other plays showing at the festival. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
The National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) put an end to days of ambiguity surrounding the arrival and performances of Indian theatre artists at the ongoing International Theatre Festival. The Indian drama troupes were unable to reach for the festival on time as their visas were delayed, which forced the organisers to postpone their performances.
With the visas expected to be granted soon, Napa has reworked the event’s schedule to accommodate artists from across the border.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Zain Ahmed, artistic director of Napa Repertory Theatre, said he expects the visa issue to be resolved in a few days. One of the first plays to be postponed at the festival is Kasumal Sapno by India’s Ujjagar Dramatic Association, which was originally scheduled to take place on March 14 and 15. The play was replaced with a performance by Napa graduates, titled Anjaam e Mohabbat.
All the performances by Indian drama troupes have now been shifted towards the end of the event, subsequently increasing the duration of the festival by 20 to 26 days.
Museum of Species in Danger, scheduled for March 20 and 21, has now been replaced with the dance performance Among Fog and Ajoka Theatre’s Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh. The latter, which was initially set to be performed on March 22, has now been pushed up a day, while Ajoka Theatre’s Dara, slated to have a single show on March 23, will also be performed on March 22.
A positive outcome of the delay is that one of the most highly anticipated performances of the festival, Daddy, will be performed on April 1 in addition to being staged on March 30 and 31. The play is an adaptation of the 1989 eponymous drama film, directed by Mahesh Bhatt. The play has already created a buzz as it will be presented by Bhatt himself.
The academy has also announced the deadline for submissions by emerging playwrights for the recently-announced ‘Napa Framji Minwalla Playwriting Award’.
Another welcome addition to the festival is the Napa Framji Minwalla Playwriting Award, which will be presented to the best adaptation of a play by emerging playwrights. The deadline for submissions is September 1, 2015. There are two categories for the awards: an adaptation of an Urdu short story into a one-act play in Urdu, and an adaptation of a short from any language into a one-act play in either English or Urdu. Apart from a cash prize of Rs50,000, the winning play will also be performed at the 2016 edition of the Napa International Theatre Festival.
This year’s festival features performances by international theatre artists from India, England, Germany and the United States, apart from local groups, such as Azad Theatre, Ajoka Theatre and Tehrik-e-Niswan.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2015.
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