ALHAMRA THEATRE FESTIVAL

CHANGING THE GAME OF THEATRE IN PAKISTAN

Alhamra Arts Centre held its annual theatre festival from August 28 to September 10, boasting the presence of renowned theatre troupes from all over Pakistan. The two-week long event was the result of the tireless effort made by the management of Alhamra for promoting theatre culture in the city of gardens – Lahore.

Even though the city is Punjab’s cultural hub, theatre performances and cultural exhibitions have seen a decline following incessant political and security issues. Thus, after taking a leap of faith, the council worked determinedly under the leadership of Chairman and veteran artiste Tauqeer Nasir, and arranged 13 days worth of pure entertainment by inviting various renowned theatre groups from every corner of the country to perform and showcase their talent in the field.

Renowned actor, Nasir, is known for his many popular dramas on television and also for the characters he has done in the realm of theatre. He expressed his opinion when stressing on the need for promoting the country’s cultural heritage. His desire is to unveil and enhance the value, as well as the standard of Pakistani theatre not just locally but also take effective steps to make a mark on an international level. Deeming this Theatre Festival as the first step to portray the country’s soft image, Nasir decided to use stage performances as a medium to change the perception of the world that otherwise considers Pakistan as an intolerant nation. Since theatre is used to assist civilised nations for the stimulation of their cultural assets and also their socio-cultural values, the festival was indeed a great activity for locals. The Alhamra Theatre Festival was a free source of entertainment for people in Lahore.

“We want to revive our theatre and bring people back to the serious and quality theatre. Our basic aim is to celebrate the legacy of theatre in Lahore,” Nasir said in a statement.

Various theatre groups were part of this amazing cultural event including Mass Foundation, LUMS University, Zig Zag Media Production, Sangat theatre, Aks theatre, Nau-ratan Production, Punjab University, Sirimiri Production, Orange Media Production, Ajoka theatre and Azaad Theatre. The festival emerged to be a successful one, for every performance had a packed house, leaving several waiting in line to get in. However, the ultimate success was all about how beautifully the directors were able to deliver their message to the audience. Each performance picked up serious social issues by specifically highlighting the prevailing misogyny and double standards of our society. People from all ages attended the festival, while appreciating the vigorous efforts made by performers, directors, script writers and crews of different theatre troupes.

All eyes were glued to the stage, as performers had the crowd under their spell. The following scripts were included in the theatre festival: Mass Foundation’s play Kafan on August 30; Gumrah was organised by the team from LUMS on August 31; September 1 saw Jan Muhammad BA Gold Medalist by Sangat Theatre Production from Quetta; Ye Shahrah Aam Nahin was performed by Sirimir Production; Chota Mota Theatre Production came up with Bol Ke Lab Azad on September 2; Aks Theatre Production staged their play Baajh on the same day; Zig Zag media production presented Tujh Sa Nahi Ho Ga on September 3; Ajoka Theatre staged their production Mara Huwa Kutta on September 8, along with other troupes performing throughout the festival.

One of the performances which truly caught one’s eye was a Punjabi play called Zainiby produced by the Orange Media Group. The play was staged on September 7 and was written by Shahid Nasir Khan. It was a truly heart-aching reality for many girls living the daily village life. The script narrates the story of a young girl named Zainiby, who lived a traumatising childhood, for she was a victim of sexual harassment. With unfathomable scars, the toddler matures and silences her emotional distress. However, with time, no secret remains unrevealed. As a submissive household, her family chose to keep the incident as a family secret. Having nowhere to go, they decide what is best for their little girl and arrange her marriage with a trusted friend. Yet faith is cruel, as her rapist, the son of an influential landlord, decides he hasn’t had enough of the poor lass. The Chaudhary of the village pressurises her father to give his daughter’s hand to his son. After many heartbreaking events, Zainiby is married off to the attacker.

Pain does not leave her side, as in her new life she is treated as a mere rag – more like a nobody. Shouldering her suffering, she goes through the misery with patience. Although, the young girl goes through many hardships, her desire for education seems to have no end. What is taken as granted for many, seems like a dream for this distressed soul. She clasps her hands in prayer, in the hope that the treachery would end, but her voice seems to go unheard as Zainiby dies a masked death by her in-laws.

A tragic but amusing story, the audience enjoyed the bubbly jest of the script, side by side to the dark reality portrayed in the drama. A well- appreciated effort by Advocate Shahid Nasir Khan and his team, including Komal Raja, who re-enacted as the main character Zainiby. One can realise the hardships, a layman has to go through to get their basic rights. The strength of the powerful is inevitable and the poor are left at their mercy.

In a city like Lahore, known for being culturally rich, more of such thought-provoking festivals must be encouraged. People must know the value of their heritage and how important it is as an identity of their nation. The theatre festival was certainly an exceptional attempt by the Alhamra Arts Council for the preservation of Pakistani Theatre. •

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