Theater and Performing Arts Commission

The Theatre and Performing Arts Commission is the entity responsible for regulating the theatre and performing arts sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The commission's responsibilities consist of developing and advancing the sector's components and organizing and holding local and international competitions, events, exhibitions, and conferences, all within its scope of competence.

Established in 2020, the commission is one of eleven cultural entities whose establishment was simultaneously approved by the Council of Ministers. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture. The commission has a public legal personality, financial and administrative autonomy, and an annual operating budget within the Ministry of Culture's budget. It reports to the Minister of Culture, and the commission's employees are subject to the Labor Law and Social Insurance Law.

The commission runs its activities from its headquarters in the capital, Riyadh. It has a Board of Directors chaired by the Minister of Culture, which supervises its plans and programs and takes all the necessary decisions to achieve its goals. It also has a CEO appointed by a decision of the Board of Directors and who manages the commission’s affairs.

As stipulated in its organizational arrangements, the commission carries out several tasks, most notably: proposing the necessary draft regulations and laws as per the nature of its activities, suggesting the criteria for the theatre and performing arts sector, and submitting them to the Ministry of Culture for approval, in addition to obtaining licenses for activities within the commission's scope of work. Moreover, its tasks involve establishing a database for the theatre and performing arts sector, encouraging investment and funding within the commission's fields and competencies, and establishing or contributing to the establishment of companies.

The Theater and Performing Arts Commission also supports and organizes activities related to theaters and performance venues in the Kingdom, and activities related to all forms of performing arts, in addition to producing, developing, and disseminating their content, including plays, opera, live, and personal performances in theaters and public places, among others. Furthermore, the commission supports Saudi theater actors, directors, artists, and producers, and empowers local talents and capabilities.

The commission launched vocational training programs, as well as certification entities specialized in the advancement of the theater and performing arts sector. The Ministry of Culture supported this orientation by launching a unified electronic portal in 2020 for external cultural scholarships.

The commission launched its strategy in 2021, which defined the scope of activities of the theatre and performing arts sector, comprising all forms of performing arts, such as theatre, dance, circus shows, stand-up comedy, street shows, concert dance performances, and opera.

Inspired by the logo of the Ministry of Culture, the logo of the Theater and Performing Arts Commission features geometric forms illustrating dances. Its colors reflect the cultural activities in which Saudi creators are engaged.

The commission has launched many initiatives aimed to instill a concrete shape, color, and dimension upon Saudi culture, thus translating culture into initiatives and events enriching the cultural landscape of the Kingdom and opening multiple horizons. These initiatives include the comedy contest platform, skills development initiative, theatrical composition contest, and traditional folklore contest.