Pushing the envelope of Pakistani theatre

NAPA alumus, Sunil Shanker, to venture into long-form improv plays

KARACHI: While improvisational comedy may have a history in our entertainment culture, few people have touched upon long-form improvisational theatre in the country. The latest to explore this avenue is National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) alumnus, Sunil Shanker. Known for his alternate and out-of-the-box approach, Shanker looks set to commence his experimentation.

Talking to The Express Tribune, he explained the reason behind taking up this form of theatre. “A lack of theatre writers in the country gave me the idea of doing this,” he said. Shanker said he was planning on putting a production together for quite some time but he did not come across interesting or original scripts. “And whenever we would do an adaptation, people would come up to us, requesting us to make original plays,” the director-actor adds.



While a schedule has not been earmarked for the performances per se, Shanker said he is currently handpicking cast members for the unique shows. While the shows might not have a comic element to them, he added, they will still be very entertaining and exciting for theatre enthusiasts. “It will be a bit like my previous play [The Goat or Who is Sylvia?]. It wasn’t funny but it was unconventional because of which the audience found it really entertaining,” he said.

The actor-director, who occasionally partakes in theatre productions at his alma mater, said while theatre lovers might find the new genre somewhat different and they will turn up in numbers.



This is not the first time that Shanker has experimented with his performances. The Goat or Who is Sylvia? saw him introduce a new form, drawing room plays, to local audiences. He added more shows of The Goat, or Who is Slyvia? Will be staged. “We are currently in talks with The Second Floor (T2F) to stage our play over there in the coming few weeks,” he said. Shanker is also in the process of writing the script for an upcoming movie.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2016.

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