Selling the stage

Is it time to take a truly commercial approach to theatre in Pakistan?

KARACHI:

When you think of theatre in Pakistan, Karachi most likely won’t come to mind. When it comes to all things cultural, it’s Lahore that takes centre stage. And certainly, it is mostly the theatrical troupes from Lahore that are responsible for revival of theatre over the past two years.

That’s not to say theatre is dead in Karachi. On the contrary, NAPA (National Academy of Performing Arts) has broken a lot of ground in bringing theatre to the youth, even if it really hasn’t been able to create its own dedicated audience. Tehrik-e-Niswan also manages to get full houses but unfortunately they don’t stage plays as regularly as one would like.

There’s plenty of blame to go around. One staple complaint is that the state has been historically neglectful of, ignorant about, and sometimes openly hostile to theatre in Pakistan. Others simply say that tickets cost too much, and then there are those who blame the absent audiences for “being willing to buy a chicken tikka for Rs200, but not a ticket for Rs500”.

But is it possible that, thus far, the problem hasn’t been seen from a business angle? That’s what Waqas Bukhari, the producer of Bombay Dreams and Moulin Rouge, two of the biggest commercial successes in theatre, believes. A banker by profession, Bukhari says it’s time to look at theatre in Karachi as what it truly is: a goldmine.

“People have been taking the audience in Karachi very lightly. I believe the audience over here has the most purchasing power, and the will, to buy tickets, which makes Karachi a great potential market for theatre producers,” Bukhari told The Express Tribune. “As a producer, I have realised what all artists should realise: that you cannot cater to Karachi as a whole, because that is simply impossible. However, the alternative is to target Karachi in portions, and that is why my target market are the large number of students who go to Karachi Grammar School or study at IVSAA (Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture) because they can afford to buy tickets priced at Rs1,000,” says Bukhari.

But what if people just don’t show up on opening night?

“This is no argument that people are not willing to come to theatre halls. I believe that you need to give them something escapist and really entertaining and they will definitely show up, despite high priced tickets,” said Bukhari.

Backing his words with numbers, Bukhari revealed that around 13,000 people showed up at Bombay Dreams and that Moulin Rouge did phenomenal business as well. Of course, both these productions were adaptations, as was Chicago, another commercial success. So does this approach spell the end of original productions?

“As a producer, I prefer tried and tested plays but after what happened with Bombay Dreams in Karachi, I’ll be only doing original scripts with my new theatre production, Waqas Bukhari Productions. After the intellectual property violation issue, a lot of artists who wanted to do original theatre are feeling more confident about their talent and the recently staged play Sabz is great example of that.”

Arguing that theatre does capture the local imagination, Waqas says some one-liners from plays were also taken up in advertising campaigns, like “Its Sexciting” in Bombay Dreams which became “Its Texciting”. To Waqas, this is a sign that theatre is alive and kicking and that’s something the corporate world has to take note of.

“We need to treat theatre like any other medium in terms of branding and in fact, we need to treat it as a highly effective medium. Theatre gives you the most instant reactions, and hence placing a product’s name in a play would be effective marketing for the brand itself and in the end, a win-win situation for both the artists and the sponsor” said Bukhari.

With his solo production company, Waqas who also produces plays in Karachi for Hazaar Daastan Productions and Center Stage Productions, aims to bridge the gap between the theatre artists and the corporate world, so that the artists don’t have to run around and beg for sponsorship.

“With my productions I aim to promote original plays and young talent. When the artists come to me, it will be my job to get them corporate sponsorship. In simple words, I am filling in the missing link in the theatre industry, which is that of a producer or a production company,” said Bukhari.

Treating theatre as a commercial venture and a branding opportunity for corporations may be innovative and good for the bank balance, but does it sacrifice art at the altar of profit?

Veteran artiste and founder of Tehreek-e-Niswan, Sheema Kirmani, seems to think so.

“I do not buy this idea at all,” says Kirmani. “Theatre is about performance and drama, not about advertising. Through theatre, we discover society and explore different facets of it. There are better ways of selling your play than completely turning it into a product endorsement. Theatre is more about aesthetics, art and literature.” Certainly, purists and true theatre aficionados will agree with her sentiments, but perhaps there is enough room in the theatre scene for both poignancy and profit?

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2011.