Lahori Roots: Resurgence of theatre in the original hub of arts

Weekend Theatre Festival will begin on November 22 and will go on till January 12.

LAHORE:

There was a time when Lahore was considered the hub of arts and entertainment, but now it all seems to have gradually shifted to Karachi be it film, theatre or drama. Veterans like Sohail Ahmed, who once set the stage ablaze, have now become a rare sight. With this in mind (and envy towards Karachi’s nascent performing arts scene), theatre veteran and daughter of famed actor Irfan Khoosat, Kanwal Khoosat is all set to produce a theatre extravaganza called Weekend Theatre Festival. It will be held from November 22 till January 12 on weekends, as the name suggests.

“If you look at Karachi, the industry is booming. National Academy of Performing Arts [Napa] has set a trend in which the audience regularly waits for new productions and along with that, private productions are also being made,” says TV, film and theatre veteran Irfan, adding that theatre has been noticeably revived in the City of Lights. “I think it’s out of awe and envy that we hope to bring back theatre in Lahore. This is an initiative towards reviving theatre as an industry.”



Several extensive plays starring leading directors and actors including Sohail Ahmed, Sania Saeed, Nimra Bucha, Naila Jaffri, Samiya Mumtaz, Nighat Chaudhry, Nauman Ijaz (who is set to make his debut in theatre) Sarmad Sultan Khoosat and Irfan himself along with others, are part of the agenda.

“This will be a good opportunity to see a lot of our stars who haven’t performed in Lahore, for instance, Sania Saeed or Sarmad Khoosat,” Irfan continues. “Nauman Ijaz will also be performing for the first time on stage — seeing these people live on stage will be a different feel altogether.” While the festival will take place in Lahore, this doesn’t mean the plays will be solely Punjabi. “We are going to incorporate the three languages of Lahore — Urdu, Punjabi and English. We have a nice diverse palette of plays.”

Plan of action

With a holistic attempt to connect art with the heritage of the city, the festival’s main goal is to bolster the audience’s interest in theatre and performing arts. Workshops for students and people interested in the nuances of stage performances have also been organised. On a more interesting note, plays will not be held on one specific venue but in a multitude of locations — primarily those with cultural significance — across Lahore.



“The whole idea of this festival is to explore Lahore through theatre. [Currently], we don’t go outside and tend to stay on our own block,” says festival coordinator Samreen Kapasia, about the inflexibility that prevails. “So with our [upcoming] theatre performances, we have a different idea. We will have performances at Lahore Fort, at Expo Center and we have also modified our street theatre performance for Mian Salli haveli.”

The team has developed a core-group which comprises like-minded friends, but the focus remains on creating an environment which would allow the audience to come out and enjoy the performances.

Limited entertainment options are another reason behind the expansive design of the festival. “If you speak to our parents or friends, you will see that we don’t really have much to do. We can only go out, eat and come back,” Kapasia explains. “So the idea is to bring forth culture as well, with this initiative. Thus, this is a very eventful and happening thing we are trying to experiment with.”

With time, the organisers hope to expand the project outside of Lahore as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2013.

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