Doha: May 25 - The activities of the 36th edition of Doha Theatrical Festival, organized by the Theater Affairs Center, in cooperation with the Qatar events center, began on Saturday and will continue until June 4 at the U VENUE Theater, which is hosting the festival for the first time. The festival kicked off with a play written by Tamim Al Burshid and directed by Faisal Al Athba, with the participation of an elite group of actors, including: Maryam Fahd, Munther Thani, Abdullah Al Hajri, Nada Ahmed, Abdullah Al Mulla, Jassim Asheer, Fares Youssef and Ahmed Al Ajmi. The festival embodies the goals of the Ministry of Culture in activating and developing the theatrical movement by presenting distinguished theatrical performances in which there are many intellectual and directing trends and artistic treatments; developing the theatrical awareness of young theater artists through intellectual and artistic seminars; and supporting and encouraging distinguished local theater experiences. Director of the Departm ent of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Culture Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Dulaimi, in his opening speech, noted the distinguished cultural and artistic movement that matches our capabilities and our brilliant presence, adding this was only due to concerted efforts and complementary work between all sectors and public and private institutions. The Ministry of Culture attaches great importance to that to meet the needs of the theatrical sector and address the challenges it faces, he added. He noted that theater is a fine art that must be preserved, stressing the Ministry of Culture's keenness to always support the theatrical movement. Head of the organizing committee of the 36th Doha Theatrical Festival and Director General of the Theater Affairs Center Abdul Rahim Al Siddiqi told Qatar News Agency that the current session is an opportunity to see and follow the performances that were prepared with great effort by the three national groups (Qatar, Doha and Al-Watan), as well as enjoy the plays presented by p rivate companies. He pointed out that the center is accompanying this current session with a number of new releases, celebrating Qatari theater artists who paved the way for new generations. Source: Qatar News Agency