Daily Times

The National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) presents the International Performing Arts Festival from March 12-31, 2019, an annual three-week celebration of the best in theatre, music and dance in Pakistan and from around the world.

The international festival is NAPA’s largest event and the only festival dedicated to international performing arts in Pakistan.

The 6th edition of the festival features over 20 performances by groups from Italy, France, Germany, Iran, Sri Lanka and Australia, and diverse Pakistani plays in Urdu, Sindhi, Punjabi, and Balochi. The performances in this year’s festival span styles and genres, from the classic to the experimental, exploring some of today’s most urgent topics, including war, fascism, migration and gender, in innovative, ground-breaking performances.

“Oh My Sweet Land”, performed to acclaim across the United States and Europe, is set against the horrific carnage of the war in Syria. Played by Corinne Jabber, a refugee recalls her life in Syria in this intimate, intense play.

“The Year of the Fish” by Baden State Theatre of Karlsruhe, Germany, is a haunting story of the rise of fascism and the necessity of resistance and individual morality.

“The Playlist”, German-Pakistan collaboration, is an investigation and meditation on torture in Guantanamo Bay and the use of music in the abuse of the human body and soul.

“Wahala”, a modern dance performance from Sri Lanka, blends traditional Sri Lankan dance forms with Western techniques in a powerful commentary on mental and physical slavery. Devi, a contemporary dance from Australia, combines experimental movement, Bharatnatyam dance and live vocals and music

“Some Days Ago” shows us the romantic lives of women in Iran, a side of life little seen by outsiders.

‘Oh My Sweet Land’, performed to acclaim across the United States and Europe, is set against the horrific carnage of the war in Syria. Played by Corinne Jabber, a refugee recalls her life in Syria in this intimate, intense play

A number of plays focus on women’s struggle for independence in today’s Pakistan. “Dottok-e-Lug”, an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “The Dollhouse” transplants the story of a woman’s rejection of her oppressive marriage to cotemporary Balochistan; “Bari” focuses on four very different women, all behind bars for refusing to bend before a harsh society; “Heer” retells the classic Heer Ranjha story from a feminist perspective.

Journey, a collaboration between Italian musicians Cantus Animae and Pakistan’s Sounds of Kolachi, connects the poetry of Italian poet Dante and Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. Mezzotono will perform Italian a cappella and NAPA music faculty will hold a tribute to musical icons Nayyara Noor and Arshad Mahmood.

NAPA Founder and Director Zia Mohyeddin directs two plays, “Mureed-e-Shak”, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” and “Court Martial”, a play that exposes the class system in South Asia. Other performances include historical plays Tehrik-e-Niswan’s “Jinnay Lahore Nahin Vekhya”, a play about Partition, “Charing Cross” by Ajoka Theatre, “Doleh Darya Khan”, about a medieval Sindhi warrior; retellings of classic stories Jadl-e-Azal, about Rostam and Sohrab and Leela Chanesar, a retelling of the Sindhi classic; Raaz-o-Niaz, a dark satire about a marriage and Pagla Ghoda, an exploration of mortality. Sultan and Dostana, two children’s theatre productions and a Dastangoi production will be also be staged.

The festival is part of NAPA’s mission of serving as a catalyst for creative expression in the performing arts and nurturing a society that respects and supports artistic expression. NAPA is Pakistan’s foremost performing arts organisation, presenting world-class theatre and music programming and the country’s only national arts academy educating students in theatre and music.

NAPA is a performing arts school located at Hindu Gymkhana in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. NAPA was established in 2005 as an institution to conserve and teach performing arts and music.

Published in Daily Times, March 16^th 2019.