PHOTO: PUBLICITY
LAHORE: Azadi Theatre Festival - Ajoka Theatre’s latest, three-day drama event - is proving an enormous success in Lahore.
Held at the prestigious Alhamra Theatre, the festival kicked off on April 10 with the landmark play Chaak Chakkar, an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’ s German play The Caucasian Chalk Circle.
Chaak Chakkar raises fundamental questions about the ownership of a nation’s wealth, resources and the true nature of justice and democracy. Audiences from different walks of life, including Burghard Brinksmeier from the German Embassy, theatre activists and students, attended the festival and thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the young star cast.
PHOTO: PUBLICITYAjoka’s executive director Shahid Nadeem welcomed the audience on the first day. In his inaugural speech, he mentioned that the Azadi Theatre Festival also marks the 34th anniversary of Ajoka’s inception. It Festival will present a fresh perspective about what azadi means to Pakistan’s youth and also celebrate the contribution of art and culture for the promotion of the ideals of azadi.
Chaak Chakkar is a parable about a maid of a rich ruler who takes care of the royal baby, abandoned by his mother while running away after being overthrown.
PHOTO: PUBLICITYIn Shahid Nadeem’s Urdu adaptation, the story is placed during the fall of the Mughal Empire. The central character is Rano, the maid, who rescues Subedar Akharzai’s baby boy and looks after him despite her poverty and the adverse security situation, even sacrificing the love of her fiancé.
Ajoka Theatre concludes five-day theatre workshop
PHOTO: PUBLICITYOn the second day, two young and dynamic theatre groups including Agriculture University Faisalabad and Punjab University’s Makhotay Theatre presented their plays revolving around the theme of freedom and human dignity.
Makhotay Theatre’s play - titled Ghulam - reflects our history, culture and the sentiments related to Partition.
PHOTO: PUBLICITYAgriculture University Faisalabad will present a mime performance based on the message of peace and religious intolerance, titled Pursuit of Happiness. Written by Urfa Baig and directed by Talha Farooq, the brief performance highlighted the social and religious barriers that shake the balance of society.
The festival will conclude with a performance of Ajoka’s latest play Charing Cross today, specially produced to mark the 70th anniversary of Pakistan. The play is a spectacular musical epic based on the major political and social changes on Pakistani landscape.
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ