Pakistani theatre in 2014

2014 may not be remembered for huge theatrical productions but it was part of a growing trend of theatre productions

Performing is as fundamental to our region as breathing. We dance when it rains, we sing our anthems, we recite our feelings and we move in devotion; we are the land of the Sufis. What is it that one means when they say “theatre” in Pakistan? Is it the fantastical musicals of the Arts Council or the ever popular stage shows at the Alhamra Arts Council? Is it the dancing girls of Lahore or the folk festivals of Sindh? The mosaic that is theatre in Pakistan is full of numerous tiny pieces, each with its own colourful story.

The diversity of theatre in Pakistan must be celebrated. The year 2014 was full of stage shows, musicals, comedies, plays highlighting social issues and political satire. KopyKats Productions, under the patronage of Anwar Maqsood, has dominated the theatre landscape in the country. It ended last year strongly with their play “Haaf Playt” and continued in the same vein this year with new productions “Main Aadakara Banoun Gi” and “Anwar Maqsood ka Dharna”, the former in particular peaked the interests of theatre goers with the return of Sania Saeed to the Arts Council Karachi stage. The record-breaking crowds seen in the extended runs of “Aanghan Tehra” and “Pawney Chaudha August” were not repeated. There was a general downward trend in audience numbers. Many productions failed to pull in the same numbers as the last few years with the political scenario in the country dominating people’s attentions.

In Karachi, particularly, the theatre stage has been dominated by Bollywood-style musicals over the last few years. These mega musicals with producers of big names and billboards splattered all over the city made people flock to the theatres. People couldn’t seem to get enough. The demand increased, the quality dropped. Many producers put up sub-standard productions hoping to make a quick buck, while making the audiences move away. A popular local actor in the Karachi theatre scene, Aadi Adeal Amjad, remarks, “The audience is done with watching musicals, the response is not so strong. In this shaky state of theatre, it becomes really difficult to find investors.”

However, the year saw a cult classic musical grace the Karachi stage. Nida Butt continued her attempts to bring Broadway to Pakistan with a production of “Grease” in Karachi starring Ayesha Omar, Sanam Saeed and Ahmad Ali. The star-power, the return of Nida Butt and the glitz and glamour of the show were enough to attract the city to the flashy lights of the stage. “Grease” is also Pakistan’s first fully licenced show, hopefully starting a new trend in the country. Nida Butt continues to set the benchmark for musicals in the country; at this point she is in a race against herself to better her own productions every time.

In Lahore, stage shows continued to be popular in the city. The city is home to both the best commercial theatre companies and the best alternative theatre companies in the country. Alhamra plays host to both politically poignant theatre plays and mujras, often on the same night.

Ajoka is one of the few companies still holding up the flag for the parallel theatre movement in Pakistan. I had the pleasure of chatting to Mr Shahid Nadeem, the writer and co-founder of Ajoka, earlier this year while he was working on his new play “Lo phir basant aye”. The play uses the metaphor of basant to make a statement about the suffocation of culture in Pakistan: The Rok Tham committee in the play standing in for the stifling elements and extremist organisations in our society.

The play opened in Lahore in March as part of Ajoka’s 30-year celebration. Ajoka also performed its popular plays, such as “Dara”, “Bullha” and the Manto-titled “Kaun hai ye ghustakh” throughout the year, even touring India after a gap of two years.

The Mass Foundation in Lahore took the bold stop of tackling the issue of sexual abuse of children and sexual labour in their play “Guddo”, performed at the Alhamra Arts Centre, Lahore. Their efforts must be lauded; a step towards producing original scripts and original plays in Pakistan is a move in the right direction. The lack of state support and the economic unviability discourages many amateur productions. Many of whom have turned to smaller venues in the past with varying success.

NAPA also continued to produce adaptations of popular English plays but none of them have seemed to have left a lasting impression on the people of Karachi. Adnan Jaffar, a graduate of NAPA and a regular actor in TV, film and theatre, says that many television actors are now turning to theatre as audience interests in theatre in Pakistan is increasing and believes that NAPA is the reason behind the spring board of theatre in Pakistan.

Theatre is starting to establish itself in Pakistan, the sustained popularity of commercial theatre, musicals and shows with star power have managed to make theatre a viable option for entertainment for people. The year 2014 may not be remembered for many huge theatrical productions but it was part of a growing trend of theatre productions in the country that I hope will continue for long. Play on Pakistan, play on!

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th,  2014.

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