Gerak Teater Tari Johor Bahru (GETAR JB) won the 2026 Southern Zone Theatre Festival with the play Dalang, and will now represent the Southern Zone on a national scale.
Dalang’s director, Senjakala, is named the Best Director. Dalang’s Muhamad Azrulsyafiq bin Samsudin and Haslina Rahman have also won Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, and the play also received the Best Cinematography award.
Six (6) plays were staged at the Seri Theatre, JKKN Complex Melaka, over six (6) days from 15th to 21st June 2026.
Senjakala told The Iskandarian that he was overjoyed by the win. “We are happy, and will do better in time. I intend to increase the number of theatres in Johor, entertaining and raising awareness among the community,” he said, expressing gratitude to all the supporting partners like Yayasan Warisan Johor, Tourism Johor, Yayasan JCorp, the Indonesian Consulate General Johor Bahru and JKKN Johor.
He also extended his gratitude to over 100 spectators in the audience that came to solely support Dalang during the festival period.
The 2026 Southern Zone Theatre Festival, themed History, Diplomacy, Civilisation, and Patriotism, was staged with the goal of achieving excellence in the art of theatre performance; providing opportunities for state theatre groups to showcase their creativity; serving as a medium for the spread of knowledge among theatre practitioners; and providing space and facilities for theatre practitioners to work.
Mohd Radzi bin Omar, Deputy Director General (Culture and Arts) of the National Department of Culture and Arts, officiated the 2026 Southern Zone Theatre Festival’s Closing Ceremony on 21st June.
The ceremony was also attended by Erry Kananga, Consul of Social and Cultural Information, Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia, Johor Bahru, Dato’ Mizan bin Yahya, Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Jcorp, Zaidatul Zurita binti Abdul Rahman, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer of Yayasan Johor Corporation and Ezlina binti Alias, Director of JKKN Melaka.
Jasmi bin Rasit, Director of the Arts and Culture Development Division at JKKN, Abdul Rashid bin Abdullah, Director of JKKN Johor, Mazidah binti Mustapha, Director of JKKN Negeri Sembilan, and Siti Rohayah Atan, Vice President of the Malaysian Theatre Association, were also in attendance.
The national theatre festival is expected to take place early in 2027. Prior to that, GETAR JB will be staging upcoming plays, an epic ‘Daeng Parani’ and the sequel to its 2024 play, ‘Magika 2.0’.
Info and updates on Yayasan Warisan Johor’s Facebook page.
 won the 2026 Southern Zone Theatre Festival with the play Dalang, and will now represent the Southern Zone on a national scale. ){kind=link}