Pakistan Theatre Festival kicks off with 'Abdullah' and 'Patriot'

Many dignitaries attended the inaugural ceremony at the Arts Council

KARACHI:

To revive the fast-receding theatre culture, the Arts Council of Karachi makes an attempt to recover the art of drama through the Pakistan Theatre Festival, which held its inaugural ceremony on Friday, September 8. 

As the ceremony commenced with its first two short plays, Abdullah and Patriot by Salman Shahid, the festival is said to run till October 8, bringing with it forty-five shows, panels, and workshops to engage the culture sector. Some familiar faces in attendance were the renowned playwright Anwar Maqsood, Munawar Saeed – who is also the Vice President of the Arts Council, as well as actors Usman Peerzada, Behroze Sabzwari, Javaid Sheikh, Sajid Hasan, Hiba Bukhari, and Arez Ahmed, amongst others. 

The ceremony was also graciously attended by the Governor of Sindh, Kamran Khan Tessori and the Governor of Punjab, Balighur Rehman. Before their welcome speeches, the president of the Arts Council, Muhammad Ahmed Shah, took to the stage himself to welcome all the attendees: guests, media groups, and most especially, the performing theatre groups from Pakistan as well as the United States of America, Turkey, Iran and Germany who will all be putting on performances during the one month run of the festival. 

While speaking of the need for arts and culture, both Shah and Tessori spoke towards the glaringly difficult economic situation in the country. Shah mentioned that his initial decision to hold a theatre festival was criticized in the wake of economic disparity, claiming that while the circumstances were indeed grave, people should still come together to engage in the arts. 

Tessori also spoke to the same effect, making light of the situation by declaring that while actors may believe they possess the true craft of drama, current politicians will certainly outpace them given the acting they rehearse on talk shows and television platforms. 

The first two plays inaugurating the festival were attended by a full hall of spectators. Abdullah, an attempt at depicting the comical relationships between those of the affluent classes and their house help, was the first play performed, starring Yusra Irfan, Asma Niaz and Omar Cheema. 

Closely followed by Patriot, also another performance written and directed by Salman Shahid, completely moved the tone from humour to radicalism as it seemingly nodded towards the political climate of headlines and news stories in a post 9/11 and Pervez Musharraf era. 

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.