Awe-inspiring, gravity defying theatrical shows to topline SIBF

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Besides books and authors, a colourful and entertaining combination of dance, music and interactive theatre await visitors at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2021) which will run from November 3-13 at the Expo Centre Sharjah.

SIBF’s 40th edition will broaden its cultural offerings with two plays, three stage shows, and eight roaming performances, workshops, and more. The exciting Rabbits Play will capture young imagination through elaborate set pieces and fascinating twists and turns portraying the power struggle between a group of dreamers and enemies of success who want to spell doom for them.

Among the plays is Ghalib in New Delhi, the long-running humorous play that recounts the adventures of the famous poet Mirza Ghalib after he is reborn in 21st century India, will be staged by Bazm-e-Urdu at SIBF.

Gisle Martens Meyer will stage an exceptional audiovisual spectacle, Live Books Symphony, on the SIBF 2021 stage, where book will articulate their thoughts through music and dance.

The spectacular Interactive Illusion show, performed by the troupe Icelone, will blend imagination, illusion, reality and technology to breathe new life into book themes through graphics and animation. The Crazy Science School stage show by Comme il Faut Production will inject fun and excitement into science as the show’s protagonists performer explosive, bright and funny experiments that will teach children up to 10 years old a thing or two about the subject.

SIBF 2021 will also showcase eight international troupes presenting vibrant roaming parades depicting a variety of themes and narratives along the halls and lobbies. Among them, Green Tree will feature curious plants that mingle with the audience, creating an illusion of being among nature. The Barattoli troupe’s Street Music with Mechanical Puppets is an unconventional theatrical piece which features songs that narrate stories from various continents.

Themed ‘There’s always a right book,’ the forthcoming 40th edition of SIBF will see the participation of 1,576 publishing houses from 83 countries. More than 15 million books will be on display throughout the 11-day celebration of literature, knowledge and culture. The 2021 Nobel Laureate for Literature, Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, will lead the list of international literary luminaries from 13 countries who will participate in the 40th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2021), which takes place from November 3 – 13 at Expo Centre Sharjah. A host of 15 literary greats from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be joining this group of global participants.

Organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the book fair boasts an extensive programme of 440 cultural activities, which will include literary talks and panel discussions led by renowned authors, writers, and journalists from around the world.

Among the headlining personalities at SIBF 2021 is American film producer, entrepreneur and bestselling author, Chris Gardner, whose novel The Pursuit of Happyness has been translated into more than 40 languages, including Arabic, and was adapted to an award-winning film starring Will Smith.

Also hailing from the United States, Gitanjali Rao is a child prodigy – an inventor, scientist, STEM promoter, and the first child to be featured by Time magazine in 2020 as ‘Kid of the Year’. She is also the bestselling author of A Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM.

Her compatriot, award-winning thriller writer Kathleen Antrim, is the author of the bestselling Capital Offense. She is a former journalist and radio show host. Michael Anderle is a bestselling author and publisher who has been consistently ranked among the top 100 authors available on Amazon store and has sold over 4 million of his books so far.

Tosca Lee is a New York Times bestselling author of 11 novels including The Line Between, A Single Light and The Legend of Sheba. She has won many awards including two 2020 International Book Awards, and her work has been translated into 17 languages. Lee will be joined by Daniel Mallory, known as A.J. Finn, author of the bestselling The Woman in the Window that became a Hollywood blockbuster starring Amy Adams, and will be one of the star attractions at SIBF.