A three-day long drama festival, National Children’s Solo Drama Fest, which features solo plays by child actors, is concluding today at the Shilpee Theatre in Battisputali.

Organised by the Kathmandu Pragya Kunja School, the fest featured 32 plays from 30 schools around the country. Featured during the fest are plays such as Nyayako Khoji, Pari, Aamako Maya and Kaag ra Kamila, among others.

“It is important to engage children in extra-curricular activities for their holistic growth and personal development. The art of drama is, we believe, the most powerful tool to achieve that,” said Tanka Chaulagain, festival director. “Along with providing a platform to showcase their creativity, the fest also aims to build a better acting base for Nepali theatre and cinema in the days to come.”

Chaulagain added, “Many schools have theatre studies as part of their extra-curricular activities, but a festival of this scale, where the progress of the actors could be sampled, is rare. This is the main objective of the fest.”

The fest also hosted an acting workshop for the participating actors.

Out of 30 acts staged at the fest, the best play will be awarded with Rs 5,000 as prize money. Likewise, the best performer and best actor will be awarded the same amount apiece.