Third Punjab MAAS International Theatre Festival Opens at Alhamra Today — Artists From Five Countries on One Stage
LAHORE: The Third Punjab MAAS International Theatre Festival 2026 opens at the Lahore Arts Council’s Alhamra on the Mall Road today, bringing six days of performances, workshops and conversations to the city. Running until October 28, the festival puts theatre artists from Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Norway and France on one stage.
A festival without borders
Organised by Alhamra and the MAAS Foundation — a founding member of ASSITEJ Pakistan — the festival describes itself as “a celebration where theatre, cultures, languages and people come together on one stage”. Its guiding line is simple: theatre has no borders. The programme mixes international and local productions with creative workshops and panel discussions on artistic freedom, digital culture, social transformation and theatre’s role in engaging younger generations. The festival has the support of the German Embassy in Islamabad, the French Embassy and Alliance Française de Lahore.
Six days, six evenings
The opening ceremony takes place at Alhamra today. On Saturday, October 24, the University of the Punjab presents ‘Ak Boota Ambi Da’, followed by Norway’s ERLER Teater Kompani with ‘Gangster Hunting with Daisy Detective’. On Sunday, October 25, a visiting French group stages ‘Zig Zag’, alongside a panel on theatre’s relevance in the age of social media.
Kazakhstan’s Ilyas Omarov Kostanay Regional Kazakh Drama Theatre performs ‘Sholpan’s Sin’ on October 26. ‘Rooh Ka Sauda’, a Pakistani production mounted with the German Embassy, goes up on October 27. Indonesia’s Sanggar Obrog Selagiling Seni closes the festival on October 28 with ‘Kintir’. Theatre workshops for children and teenagers run through the week.
