The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) is set to mark the World Theatre Day, which falls on March 27 every year, with the aim of reviving this global occasion. The celebration will include a symposium under the title 'Qatari Theatre... Between Reality and Hope', in which the theatre critic Dr Hassan Rashid, the author and theatre director Hamad al-Rumaihi, and artist and director Jassem Ahmed al-Ansari will participate.
The symposium deals with the beginnings of the Qatari theatre, and the difficulties that the playwrights faced in the beginning, the formation of private theatrical groups, the factors of theatre flourishing in the '80s and '90s of the last century, and the challenges facing the Qatari theatre at the present time. This will be followed by proposals that would bring this theatre back to the fore again.
For his part, Director of Cultural Affairs and Events at the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) Khalid Abdulrahim al-Sayed said that the Qatari theatre has a significant legacy that extends back nearly five decades, as Qatar is one of the first Gulf countries in which theatre has a strong presence in the cultural arena.
He pointed out that Katara sought to invest its exhibition halls equipped with the latest technology, such as the opera house, drama theatre and outdoor theatre, in creating a theatrical movement that continues throughout the year.
Therefore, in 2017, the Katara theatre activities were launched, which are concerned with revitalising the theatre by holding many theatrical events. The desired theatrical movement also includes partnerships with Arab and Gulf countries. It should be noted that theatre is one of the important cultural tools that the Cultural Village Foundation relies on a lot in achieving its vision of global leadership in multicultural activities. According to Katara cultural index statistics for the period from January to December 2022, Katara presented 82 live theatrical performances.
