The curtains are all set to rise this Wednesday at theatres across Rawalpindi, bringing overjoyed artistes and audiences back on the stage with rom-com plays such as Haseena Gori, Munday Lahori (The Fair Damsel and the Lahore Boys).
The play, full of dances and slapstick comedy which tests the limits of R-ratings, is anxiously awaited by local theatre lovers. It is set to premiere on September 11, while the team of actors will start full dress rehearsals from September 9.
Artistes and art lovers told The Express Tribune that they were overjoyed at the reopening of theatres and cinemas after an extended gap.
The government has allowed the reopening of cinemas and theatres from September 9.
Members of the artist community and theatre owners said they have completed all preparations to welcome back audiences.
The famous Seroz Cinema in the Saddar area has been transformed into a theatre which is equipped with all modern technology. The inaugural stage play in the theatre will be organised on September 11 and MNA Amir Mehmood Kiyani and former Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister Nasir Raja will be invited as the chief guests for the inauguration ceremony. The opening drama, Haseena Gori, Munday Lahori, has been produced by Asad Ali and directed and written and directed by Munawwar Bhatti. The play will open with two shows on Friday and weekends. The first of the two shows will commence at 8pm and the second at 10:30pm.
Artists including Akram Udas, Afreen Khan, Sonia Khan, Sana Khan, Kaif, Saleem Bala, Shahid Bhola, and Ali Akbar will perform in the play.
Meanwhile, theatre writer Rasheed Ahmed said that the restoration of dramas would pave way for new talent while it would also end the financial difficulties of the artistes.
Writer Shahid Bhola said that while cinemas continued either at home or in limited numbers at high-end multiplexes, theatre lovers were starved of live entertainment.
Moreover, the Seroz Theatre General Manager Rasheed Ali and Chairman Iftikhar Shehzad told The Express Tribune that the prolonged closure allowed them time to completely transform and renovate the cinema into a theatre.
He further said that they have now added new, comfortable seats along with sofa sets for art lovers. A new sound system had also been installed in the theatre.
Further, actors Sharif Qureshi, Nadeem Iqbal, and Waheed Ahmed looked happy with the restoration of cultural activities after a prolonged period. They said that the garrison city would become a hub of cultural activities once again.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2020.
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