Three-week festival of international, national performing arts to begin at Napa on March 12

The National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) is all set to celebrate three weeks of music and drama both from overseas and from within the country from March 12-31.

Announcing this at a press conference at Napa on Thursday evening, festival director Zain Ahmed said that the purpose of the festival was to acquaint our pupils, our alumni and the citizens at large with the latest trends in music and stage in various parts of the world and new concepts in performing arts.

There are going to be groups from Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, and Australia with theatre from all over Pakistan not just in Urdu but also in regional languages.

The performances in the festival span styles and concepts from the classical to the avante-garde, spreading over the experimental and contemporary genres.

Some of the programmes are Mureed-e-Shak: an adaption of Shakespeare’s; ‘The winters’ tale’, directed by Zia Mohyeddin, March 12, Tuesday;

‘Oh my sweet land’, performed to acclaim across the US and Europe (it is set against the horrific war in Syria. A refugee woman recalls her life in Syria) Sunday, March 17; and ‘The year of the fish’, from the Baden State Theatre, of Karlsrue, Germany, (it is a reflection of the rise of fascism in Germany and the indispensable need for resistance and individual morality) Tuesday, March 26.

Also part of the festival will be ‘Wahala’, a modern dance performance from Sri Lanka (it is blended with the latest western techniques in a profound commentary on physical and mental slavery) Thursday, March 15; ‘Devi’, a contemporary dance troupe from Australia, March 20, Wednesday; and ‘Some days ago’, a play that shows us the romantic lives of women in Iran, an aspect little known to the world.

From within the country, some of the performances are: ‘Jinney Lahore Naheen Vikheya’ (Punjabi), Tuesday, March 19; ‘Pagla Ghorha’, a play that lays bare the evils of patriarchy, on March 23 and 24; and ‘Folk Rung’, Punjabi, Balochi, Sindhi, Pushto folk music to be presented on the lawns of Napa.

All shows will begin at 8pm sharp. The above-noted are just some of the

programmes that will be held during the three weeks of the festival.