According to the Katara Cultural Index for the first half of 2021, Katara's theatre performances saw a large public turnout, estimated at 18,428 visitors.
The capacity of the drama theatre is estimated at 430 people, and due to the audience's thirst for this art, Katara organised two performances per day for many theatrical works.
Director of Cultural Affairs and Events at Katara Khalid Abdul Rahim al-Sayed attributed this theatrical movement to the co-operation with strategic partners, including the Theatre Affairs Centre at the Ministry of Culture, in addition to the fact that Katara hosted the 34th Doha Theater Festival, organised by the Ministry of Culture from March 16 to 27, and witnessed many events all held at Katara, including five university plays, three plays for civil troupes, three official seminars, eight practical seminars, and a special theatrical show produced by the Theatre Affairs Centre under the name "Star Theatre".
The festival included the celebration of World Theatre Day, which falls on March 27 of each year and was held at the Katara Opera House.
Al-Sayed pointed out that Katara continued its interest in children's theatre, where it held several artistic workshops within the summer programmes, including a workshop to teach the art of puppetry, including hand and thread puppets, in addition to teaching motor expression, speech, and facial expressions, for children aged 8 to 13 years, and Katara also staged four plays, as part of the Eid al-Adha events, the first entitled "Friends of Nature," the second tells about forest animals, the third silent play, and the fourth related to the shadow fantasy theatre, including a parade of giant dolls.
Al-Sayed stressed that the theatrical movement will continue without interruption, as Katara plans to hold many theatrical events during November and December. The events, including international plays, will continue until the beginning of the next year 2023, in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture and the Tourism Authority, as well as the theatrical movement will include partnerships with Gulf and Arab countries.
Artist and theatre director Saad Burshaid explained that Katara has become a source of radiation at the cultural, artistic, and intellectual levels, highlighting talented people in all aspects of creativity, and the theatre had a share of this radiation, as local theatre groups took advantage of the opportunities provided by Katara to meet with the audience, indicating that the matter was not limited to the Qatari theatre, but Katara theatres were opened to groups from outside Qatar.
He reiterated that the partnership with the Theatre Affairs Centre reflected positively on the art of theatre and restored its old glow, and allowed theatre-goers and those interested in this art to meet through seminars and lectures to discuss their hopes to continue the theatrical movement, and also arranged the holding of many festivals, including the Doha Theatre Festival and the university theatre, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Qatari Theatrical Troupe, and honoring theater pioneers over the years.
Dr Hassan Rashid, a theatre critic, expressed that Katara played a major role in restoring the theatre to the front after a period of stagnation that organised the Qatari and Arab theatre alike, stressing that the Cultural Village succeeded in providing diverse theatrical creativity, for adults and children, and also hosted theatrical performances from outside the country.
The capacity of the drama theatre is estimated at 430 people, and due to the audience's thirst for this art, Katara organised two performances per day for many theatrical works.
Director of Cultural Affairs and Events at Katara Khalid Abdul Rahim al-Sayed attributed this theatrical movement to the co-operation with strategic partners, including the Theatre Affairs Centre at the Ministry of Culture, in addition to the fact that Katara hosted the 34th Doha Theater Festival, organised by the Ministry of Culture from March 16 to 27, and witnessed many events all held at Katara, including five university plays, three plays for civil troupes, three official seminars, eight practical seminars, and a special theatrical show produced by the Theatre Affairs Centre under the name "Star Theatre".
The festival included the celebration of World Theatre Day, which falls on March 27 of each year and was held at the Katara Opera House.
Al-Sayed pointed out that Katara continued its interest in children's theatre, where it held several artistic workshops within the summer programmes, including a workshop to teach the art of puppetry, including hand and thread puppets, in addition to teaching motor expression, speech, and facial expressions, for children aged 8 to 13 years, and Katara also staged four plays, as part of the Eid al-Adha events, the first entitled "Friends of Nature," the second tells about forest animals, the third silent play, and the fourth related to the shadow fantasy theatre, including a parade of giant dolls.
Al-Sayed stressed that the theatrical movement will continue without interruption, as Katara plans to hold many theatrical events during November and December. The events, including international plays, will continue until the beginning of the next year 2023, in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture and the Tourism Authority, as well as the theatrical movement will include partnerships with Gulf and Arab countries.
Artist and theatre director Saad Burshaid explained that Katara has become a source of radiation at the cultural, artistic, and intellectual levels, highlighting talented people in all aspects of creativity, and the theatre had a share of this radiation, as local theatre groups took advantage of the opportunities provided by Katara to meet with the audience, indicating that the matter was not limited to the Qatari theatre, but Katara theatres were opened to groups from outside Qatar.
He reiterated that the partnership with the Theatre Affairs Centre reflected positively on the art of theatre and restored its old glow, and allowed theatre-goers and those interested in this art to meet through seminars and lectures to discuss their hopes to continue the theatrical movement, and also arranged the holding of many festivals, including the Doha Theatre Festival and the university theatre, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Qatari Theatrical Troupe, and honoring theater pioneers over the years.
Dr Hassan Rashid, a theatre critic, expressed that Katara played a major role in restoring the theatre to the front after a period of stagnation that organised the Qatari and Arab theatre alike, stressing that the Cultural Village succeeded in providing diverse theatrical creativity, for adults and children, and also hosted theatrical performances from outside the country.
