Organised by the Arts Council of Pakistan, it can function free theatre performances in a number of regional languages
The Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, has introduced the return of its annual Awami Theatre Competition, which can run from January 22 to February 15, 2026, that includes a month-long programme of free theatrical performances in a number of regional languages.
The announcement was made at a press convention held at Haseena Moin Corridor, the place Arts Council President Mohammad Ahmed Shah outlined the scope and aims of the pageant alongside Vice President and senior actor Munawar Saeed, Chairman of the Drama Committee Shehzad Raza Naqvi, and Secretary Ejaz Farooqi.
Mr Shah mentioned the 25-day pageant can be staged on the Arts Council’s Auditorium, with every day performances starting at 8pm. Further exhibits will likely be held on Saturdays and Sundays. A particular open-air efficiency of Dukhtar-e-Kashmir, written by Bashir Sadozai, is scheduled for February 6.
Based on the organisers, the pageant will current 30 performs in Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Seraiki, Balochi and Memon, reflecting what Mr Shah described because the council’s long-standing dedication to accessible and culturally rooted theatre.
“The Awami Theatre Competition is a practice that spans many years,” Mr Shah mentioned, including that related festivals are additionally organised in different Sindh cities, together with Hyderabad and Larkana. He famous that lots of Pakistan’s most recognisable stage performers — together with Moin Akhtar, Umar Sharif and Sikandar Sanam — rose to nationwide prominence via the Arts Council’s theatre platform.
Emphasising the pageant’s free-entry mannequin, Mr Shah mentioned the goal was to supply family-friendly leisure with out monetary obstacles. He underlined that whereas the Arts Council permits broad inventive freedom, it maintains clear boundaries.
“This can be a house for significant, optimistic theatre,” he mentioned. “Artistic liberty doesn’t imply vulgarity or discrimination. Our phases ought to welcome households, and the accountability for that lies as a lot with administrators as with actors.”
He additionally spoke about wider institutional plans, together with the revival of movie screenings on the Arts Council and upcoming developments associated to Fyzee Rahamin. Talks are underway with filmmaker Nabeel Qureshi, with an announcement anticipated round Eid-ul-Azha, he added.
Vice President Munawar Saeed, addressing the media, mirrored on his personal beginnings in theatre and urged taking part artists to method their roles with sincerity and self-discipline. “Theatre teaches you honesty,” he mentioned. “In case you stay truthful to your character and dedicated to your craft, the viewers responds.”
Chairman Drama Committee Shehzad Raza Naqvi mentioned final 12 months’s pageant had obtained a optimistic response and expressed hope that this version would additional strengthen the connection between theatre and the general public. “Our goal is to entertain whereas remaining inside cultural and moral boundaries,” he mentioned.
Among the many productions scheduled for the pageant are Seedhi Jaleebi, Mirza Ghalib in Karachi, Bohat Ho Gayi Begum, Yeh Kaisa Daur Hai?, Wah Tera Kya Kehna, Rab Diyan Rehmatan (Punjabi), Panjo Thino Karo (Memon), Pardes (Seraiki), Kandana Biaay (Balochi), Dil Ji Duniya (Sindhi) and Mujh Mein Tu Maujood, which can conclude the pageant.
