The six-day festival being organised by Ghana’s National Theatre opened last Tuesday and will end on Sunday.

It will feature a host of activities, including a theatre programme for schools (Son of Umbelle), a fashion show, a film show, Standup Comedy, dramas and an art exhibition to showcase authentic artefacts and other made-in-Ghana products, among others.

An annual affair as part of efforts to fulfil the National Theatre’s mandate to develop and promote the performing arts in Ghana, this year’s festival is on the theme, “Celebrating Ghanaian culture and heritage through partnerships and linkages".

The Programmes Manager at the National Theatre, William Ashong, at the official opening ceremony, explained that the festival would offer potential theatre audiences diverse quality productions at an affordable cost in a bid to build a dedicated audience for theatre events at the National Theatre.

He noted that key among the activities was the Theatre for Development production, which targets audiences, including basic and senior high school students (SHS), as well as other productions for tertiary students and adults with a passion for the performing arts.

Another event is "GHROBICS", an aerobic exercise performed amidst traditional dances fused with drumming and music for a total body workout to improve physical fitness and overall sense of well-being. GHROBICS also helps one to acquire traditional dance and movement skills.

The festival, Mr Ashong further explained, would be heralded by the performance of  Efupcnkc,  featuring all three resident groups of the National Theatre - National Dance Company - National Symphony Orchestra and National Drama Company - on Friday evening.

Other participating groups in the festival are Agape Arts Production, 2 Idiots Production, Department of Fashion Design and Textiles (Accra Technical University), Ghana Academy of Films and Television Arts, EN Academy, Addis Dance, 2 Cute Entertainment, Robdy’s Production and Visual Arts Students Empowerment Project.

Mr Ashong said this year’s festival was unique because it sought to throw more support for talented basic and SHS students in the art space by providing a platform for them to showcase their works.

By doing so, he said, the public could support their craft by purchasing the artworks on display.

“So I entreat everyone to come out in their numbers to help support our own people and their talents,” he said.