The 9th Kalba Festival for Short Plays kicks off

Sharjah 24: Khorfakkan Deputy Ruler's Office Head Sheikh Saeed bin Saqr Al Qasimi and Kalba Deputy Ruler's Office Head Sheikh Haitham bin Saqr Al Qasimi both watched Thursday's opening performances of the ninth annual Kalba Festival for Short Plays.

Day one of the festival, which is organised by the Theatre Department of the Department of Culture, included two plays: "Failure of a Theatrical Performance," based on a translated text by Daniil Kharms and directed by Yusuf Al-Mughni, and "Delirium for Two," by Eugène Ionesco and directed by Hagop Eid.

The festival's general coordinator, Alia Al-Zaabi, has announced that the ninth session would honour the late artist Khalifa Al-Takhlufa, "the personality of the festival," with a line-up of 14 theatrical acts running over the course of 6 days.

She told Sharjah 24 that this year's festival is set apart since all prior participants will be attending. She also mentioned the festival's extensive cultural programme, which included panels and seminars including the Intellectual Forum and the Eighth Sharjah Theatre Research Forum.