Light up the stage

For Nepal’s arts scene to flourish, the government must act as a guardian and get the show going.

In early 2019, Nepali theatre marked a new milestone when Kathmandu hosted the weeklong Nepal International Theatre Festival, bringing artistes from nine countries to perform 30 plays at four theatres. It was a moment of elation for the theatre community. A movement started in 1982 by a group of discontented theatre workers had finally come of age. But the road ahead is as bumpy as it has been in the past.