Pakistan Theatre Festival 2023 by the Art Council of Pakistan Karachi will kick off on Sep 8. The Festival will run for a whole month in which there will be 45 Shows in 30 days, 7 International Theatre Groups will be participating, and 27 different theatre groups from all around Pakistan will be included. President ACP Muhammad Ahmed Shah expressed these views in a Press Conference held at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi Regarding the “Pakistan Theatre Festival 2023”.
Well-known director and actors Munawar Saeed and Sajid Hassan also attended the press conference. President of Arts Council Muhammad Ahmad Shah said that the Arts Council of Pakistan provided a platform where theatre groups and artists from Pakistan and worldwide will participate. This will be the biggest theatre festival of Pakistan; we have theatre groups coming from seven countries. The Festival will be in Urdu, English, Sindhi, Punjabi and Persian. He said that the media has a strong role in showing the positive face of Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi worldwide, thanks to the media for promoting such a big brand as the Aalmi Urdu Conference, Pakistan Literature Festival, Youth Festival.
He said, I have come to America; we are more civilized than the West; the West does not allow its negative things to come out through its civilisation and culture. In films, India has made the hero the hero, The villain the villain, an artist cannot live in Utopia. We worked tirelessly to run theatre, music and dance academies, now hundreds of people are working, Arts Council promotes art and culture across the world even at the urban level. Theater festivals held across Sindh including Karachi, now internationally. Pakistani artists will be named on the surface. He said that we are introducing a new brand in the name of “Pakistan Theater Festival”, an artist came to us from America, she went back and told the people about the positive image of Pakistan, we want artists from there to come to us and our students there.
We are giving more attention to teaching, and many workshops are included in the Theatre festival, he said that theatre people do not get jobs, so we are trying to include theatre in the curriculum. Director and Actor Munawar Saeed said that Pakistan Theater Festival is a great success of Ahmed Shah and Sajid Hasan, I am sure that the mood of the theater will be seen again from Pakistan Theater Festival. In which there used to be drama, singing, group dance, I also did theatre there, he said that for a long time, we did theatre but it was not considered permissible to use a microphone in the theatre, then I did voice training through it. Even today I tell my children about it.
Actor Sajid Hasan said that Ahmed Shah’s journey is history; we are not worried on his part that the work is going well, despite the situation in Pakistan, the theater festival Making it successful is a big achievement, I am proud to be a part of this team, we used to dream in our youth, this country has been in emergency all our lives, we have to do everything according to the theory, we have to do everything by ourself.
Going forward from literature itself, Pakistan is a very enlightened country, this theatre promotes all these things, international cooperation is an important thing, Ahmed Shah has taken this great step. Paiskstan Theater Festival includes Patriot & Abdullah, Through The Waves, The Police, Kanya (Sri Lanka Dance), Biwi Ho Toh Apni, Taleem-e-Balighan, Trashedy, Both Sit In, One Night Stand Up, The Bobbles (Kids Special), Anhi Mai Da Sufna, Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh, Insha Ka Intezaar, Saazish Ki Wajah Se Khel Multavi, Ken B Eniwan`s Story, Barsaat, Social Pagal, The Father, Gadha Mandi, Chandravati, Say No!, Nocturnal, Art Aur Aata, Ikhtiyar, Anarkali Se Aagay, Fareb, Sham Bhi Thi, Shab Bakhair Maa, Iranian, Ek Yaad, Zeest, The Finest Cutter, Love@70, PirAchy Aur Mir Baqar Ali, Turkiye Theatre. Tickets for Pakistan Theater Festival shows are Rs 1,000 for the general public, while members of the Arts Council can get a 50% discount