The Childhood Care and Development Department at the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussein is preparing to launch the eighth edition of the International Hussaini Children's Festival for Children's Theatre, scheduled to begin in March of the current year.

 Montadhar Abbas Shareef, the head of the department, stated to Karbala International Agency, "This festival, held annually in Karbala, includes wide participation from children's theatre groups from inside and outside Iraq, including foreign ones."

He added, "The festival's activities will take place from 2-8 of March 2024, and this edition of the festival will feature a large number of theatrical performances directed towards children, in addition to puppet theatre performances."

Shareef explained, "There will be several exceptional activities during this session, including a meeting of children's theatre festival directors in the Arab region, such as the management of the Dan Festival in Amman, the director of the Eklan Festival from Morocco, and the management of the puppet theatre in Carthage, Tunisia, along with other participants from festival management in Iran."

Shareef added, "There will be an annual conference sponsored by this session of the Al-Husseini Al-Saghir Festival for branches directors of the World UNIMA Organization, which is concerned with puppetry, and this activity will be exceptional."

Regarding the festival's importance, Shareef said, "The festival aims to maximise theatrical work directed towards children, thereby creating an artistic environment that aids in children's upbringing and guidance. It also helps trainers, artists, and those interested in children to expand their horizons in utilising art for childhood's service."

He also noted, "Three professional training workshops will be held for artists interested in theatre on the sidelines of the festival, including a workshop on actor training and realistic acting by trainer John from Australia and a workshop on theatrical makeup by trainer Hussein Tabrizi from Iran, which offers a professional course in the craft of theatrical and cinematic makeup."

Shareef concluded by saying, "There is a third training workshop that focuses on the manufacture and animation of Mario Net wooden dolls, facilitated by trainer Pierre Bigas from Spain. Applications for these workshops will open within the next two days to provide an opportunity for interested individuals in this field."

Ameer Al-Mousawi, Karbala International Agency