RIYADH — The Theater and Performing Arts Commission will hold a press conference in the Saudi capital on Monday to announce the launch of the first edition of the Riyadh Theater Festival. A competition to choose the theatrical displays that will participate in the festival will also be announced during the press conference, in preparation for the shows to be held in the Conference Center at Princess Nourah University (PNU) in Riyadh. The Riyadh Theatre Festival comes as an extension of the commission's efforts in encouraging the theater movement, supporting the local production of the Saudi theater, in addition to creating a theatrical event that will enhance the presence of Saudi playwrights, and discover and refine talents. The festival in its first phase will support the production of 20 theatrical performances, which will be displayed in the region where it was produced. Ten theatrical shows will be sorted and nominated to participate in the official competition of the festival that will be organized by the commission in Riyadh. During the press conference, the commission will reveal the registration methods in the competition for selecting the theatrical performances that will participate in the festival, in addition to the criteria, terms and conditions for nomination. The commission will also unveil various phases the competition from preparing the teams and evaluating the performances of the teams that will be nominated to participate in the regions to announcing the winners. The selections of the shows will be based on the principle of quality, seriousness and creativity in performances, the development of the plays' language, in addition to the importance of the availability of elements that attract the audiences.
