National Theatre calls for support

Mrs Amy Appiah Frimpong, Acting Executive Director of the National Theatre, has called on stakeholders and institutions to assist the National Theatre to offer programmes that project positive images of the Ghanaian arts and culture.

She said this would help the theatre to deliver on its mandate of promoting and presenting the performing arts.

Mrs Frimpong said this at the launch of the second edition of the Ghana Theatre Festival 2015 held in Accra.

The theme: “Creative Arts: rethinking the contemporary,” would make the National Theatre to remain relevant through the delivery of artistic works that resonate with the audience and thus meet their expectations.

She said the festival provides a rare but unique opportunity to existing and potential practitioners to partner the National Theatre to stage their works.

She noted that the theatre is undergoing changes and said it is now the time to run as business entity to solicit for funds to enable the facility to embark on maintenance and infrastructural works.

She said arts are a part of any nation’s creative capacity, which spurs innovation and distinctive products that can attract tourists, businesses and citizens.

This, she added, would create revenue for local businesses and make the nation more attractive to tourists and visitors which results in positive economic impact.

Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu Adjare, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, applauded management of the National Theatre for conceptualising such a fantastic and brilliant idea to showcase the quality performances for sustainable development in the country.

She expressed that even in challenging times, the National Theatre with its resident companies are still focused on its mission to develop and promote the performing arts through cost effective production and classical and contemporary live-staged and televised performances which projects national values and African personality.

She, therefore, appealed to the private sector, the diplomatic corps and donor communities to the support the National Theatre with cash of kind to enable it become the citadel of creative arts excellence in the country.

The minister expressed the hope that all the expectations of the various performances that been outlined for the festival would be carried out as planned to the satisfaction of the audience that would throng the theatre during the period.

The festival begins on October 12 with outreach programmes by the theatre resident groups namely, the National Dance Company, the National Symphony Orchestra to some senior high schools within the Accra Metropolis through October 14 and other activities till October 18.