Ticketing theatre

LAHORE: After years of staging free plays for the public, Ajoka Theatre is aiming to introduce paid performances. The group will charge Rs100 per ticket for each performance for the Virasat Festival for the first time. The festival will take place at Alhamra on Lahore’s The Mall from October 20 to October 23.

Ajoka’s artistic director Madeeha Gauhar told The Express Tribune that Ajoka has decided to ticket performances in order to sustain its work. “We are trying to discourage free performances but we will keep the ticket prices low so that everyone can afford it,” she said.

We will be donating the money earned from ticket sales to flood relief efforts. Those who can afford to are welcome to donate more money other than the price of the ticket,” she said.

When asked whether the tickets were being sold for this festival only or of the practice would continue in the future she said, “We will be charging for each performance from now on. This is necessary as the cost of everything has risen and we have to sustain our work”.

She said that people can also become ‘Friends of Ajoka’ by paying an annual membership fee.

Madeeha Gauhar believes that the Punjab government should waive entertainment tax on serious theatre performances. “We are keeping ticket prices low and working for the promotion of meaningful theatre. The government shouldn’t charge us tax,” she said.

Gauhar says that Ajoka caters to all sections of society and people from all classes and professions attend the group’s performances, but lamented that the corporate sector does not support work of groups such as hers. “The corporate sector supports English plays which aren’t original and don’t take up any social issues. Such plays only to a limited class. The corporate sector should support meaningful theatre,” she said.

The festival will start with a performance of Bullah on October 20. On October 21 Raja Rasalu will be staged while the plays Dukh Darya and Dara will be staged on October 22 and October 23, respectively.

Published in The Express Tribune ,October 9^th, 2010.