Omani Theatre Association Opens Registration for First Muscat Theatre Festival

Oman Opens Registration for First Muscat Theatre Festival

Muscat:  The Omani Theatre Association has opened registration for the first edition of the “Muscat Theatre Festival”, scheduled to be held in Muscat Governorate next December.

The festival aims to provide a national platform for Omani theatrical productions, bringing together theatre groups, universities and colleges to showcase their experiences and compete in a dedicated national theatrical event.

Applications will remain open until 1 November 2026, after which the submitted productions will be reviewed and evaluated by a specialized committee to select the performances for the festival’s final programme.

Participation is open to Omani theatre groups, universities and colleges. The competition is limited to group theatrical performances, while monodrama, duodrama and pantomime productions are excluded. Each participating entity may submit only one performance.

The festival permits the use of both local and international theatrical texts. The Best Theatrical Text Award will be reserved for Omani writers in accordance with the festival’s regulations, while productions addressing societal issues are encouraged.

Emad bin Mohsen Al Shanfari, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Omani Theatre Association, said the festival provides an opportunity for theatre practitioners in Oman to meet, exchange experiences and compete, while contributing to the development of the national theatrical movement.

He noted that the association aims to establish the festival as a renewed platform for theatrical productions and expressed hope that it would contribute to the continuation and expansion of national theatrical events in the Sultanate of Oman.

Al-Shanfari explained that the first edition would serve as an experience that could be further developed in future editions, stressing the importance of benefiting from the observations and suggestions of theatre practitioners.

He added that the association hopes to establish a cycle of national theatrical activities, with the Muscat Theatre Festival held in one year and the Omani Theatre Festival for Groups, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, held the following year.

The association called on theatre groups, universities and colleges wishing to participate to complete their applications before the 1 November 2026 deadline. A specialized committee will subsequently evaluate the submitted productions and announce the performances selected for the festival.