The First Baghdad International Theater Festival

The first Baghdad International Theater Festival welcomed Iraqi, European and MENA plays and performances, signaling cultural expansion in Baghdad.

The first Baghdad International Theater Festival was held last month at the city’s recently renovated National Theater. Iraqi performances were shown alongside plays from Europe and the Middle East and North Africa, signaling the welcoming of cultural expansion in Baghdad.

Qasim Zaidan, the festival’s secretary, said the event is about “welcoming the world to Baghdad and opening its stage to something beautiful.” The festival was one of the few international events in Iraq aimed at breaking the city’s cultural isolation, and it brought guests from across the Middle East and North Africa, as well as a smaller number from Europe and the Iraqi diaspora.

To read more about the festival and performances, click here.