Zafar International Theatre Festival Kicks Off

The second edition of the Dhofar International Theatre Festival opened the day before yesterday in Salalah, in the southernmost Dhofar Governorate of the Sultanate of Oman. The festival runs until the 22nd of this month and features 15 performances from nine Arab and international countries.

The participating performances are divided into three competitions. The first is the “Major Performances” competition, comprising seven shows. The second is the “Elite Performances” competition, dedicated to productions that have won Arab and international awards, featuring four shows. The third is the “Dhofar Theatre” competition, dedicated to local productions, also featuring four shows.

The competing productions at the festival come from Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, India, Turkey, Georgia, and Spain.

In parallel with the performances, the festival is hosting a training workshop for young Omani theatre practitioners titled “The Actor and the Body… Space and Void,” led by artist Jihad Saad. At the opening ceremony, held at Al-Muruj Theatre, the festival honored nine artists: Ahmed Helmy, Sherif Munir, and Yasser Jalal from Egypt; Jamal Suliman and Asad Fada from Syria; Ahmed Borhima from the United Arab Emirates; Abdullah Malik from Bahrain; and Saleh Zaal and Imad Al-Shanferi from the Sultanate of Oman.