Playful revelry: Young ‘uns put on their acting boots for theatre festival
Excellent renditions of Pied Piper, Wizard of Oz and poetry were highlights of the event.
Students put on an enjoyable show during a theatre festival. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID
ISLAMABAD:
With her arms outstretched, Sadia Saifullah tried to maintain her balance while capturing the memorable act of her daughter in a stage adaption of the German tale, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”. Hundreds of students lit up the stage with energetic performances at the Beaconhouse Theater Festival 2014, held at Sir Syed Memorial society on Saturday morning.
With painted faces and vibrant costumes, fourth and fifth graders from the school had been rehearsing for the annual event for the past two months. A selection of English plays, Urdu poetry and choir performances during intervals managed to maintain its momentum till the curtain was drawn for the last time.
Starting with a magnificent performance of The Pied Piper, students managed to keep the choreography in sync. A colourful backdrop of a German town complimented the entire performance, with a total of 175 students dressed up as different characters such as rats and townsmen doing justice to the play. Sara Khan, a fourth grade teacher who directed the play, said choreographing and coordinating the dance sequence involving over a hundred students was a challenge, but after watching the final performance, she felt that her hard work had paid off.
With fourth grader Abdur Rehman playing the pied piper dressed in tights and ankle-high boots, while donning a cape and a flute, he successfully managed to lead the performance in a subtle and confident manner. At one point, Rehman swayed his followers off the stage and swirled through the audience, adding more flavour to the act.
“I was very nervous at first, but as I heard the audience applaud the dance, I got my feedback,” said Urdu teacher Fauzia Safdar.
The second performance featured famous Urdu poems. While narrating the verses, students dressed up as different professionals and delivered wonderful renditions of “Lab pay aatee hai dua” and “Is parcham keh saye talay”.
“We did not only ask the children to perform tableaus on these poems, but rather, also taught them about the significance of the lyrics,” said Amna Raja, an Urdu teacher who was also the director of this sequence. “These poems narrate a message of respect for different professions and regions, unity and harmony in Pakistan. This is the message we want to teach our children in today’s times,” said Raja.
Fifth graders Aleen Zubair and Shahmir Khan sang the latest pop songs during intervals between acts.
The final performance was an adaptation of the American novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, and was exceptionally well-done. Tooba Javed as the Wicked Witch of the West, Erra as Dorothy, Najamul Hasan as the Tin Man and Danish Atif as Scarecrow managed to woo the audience with the performance. However, the life in these performances was infused by art teacher Noor Zubair, who managed to design the magnificent costumes worn by students. The creative backdrop was designed while keeping the act in mind, and the makeup added the final touches to the elaborate get ups. Zubair’s use of colour, technique, props and materials used for costumes made the performances worth the praise.
The participating children were spotted getting pats on the back from friends and family. Smiling for the camera and striking a pose with their peers, many seemed sad that the event was over. “I am happy that the event is over, but I look forward to working in more plays,” said Tooba Javed, the fifth grader who performed as the Wicked Witch.
“I am relieved after the last performance. Thinking back to what has happened from our first meeting until now, seeing it turn into a success, I know that our hard work paid off,” said headmistress Muqadasa Usman as the event concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2014.
With her arms outstretched, Sadia Saifullah tried to maintain her balance while capturing the memorable act of her daughter in a stage adaption of the German tale, “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”. Hundreds of students lit up the stage with energetic performances at the Beaconhouse Theater Festival 2014, held at Sir Syed Memorial society on Saturday morning.
With painted faces and vibrant costumes, fourth and fifth graders from the school had been rehearsing for the annual event for the past two months. A selection of English plays, Urdu poetry and choir performances during intervals managed to maintain its momentum till the curtain was drawn for the last time.
Starting with a magnificent performance of The Pied Piper, students managed to keep the choreography in sync. A colourful backdrop of a German town complimented the entire performance, with a total of 175 students dressed up as different characters such as rats and townsmen doing justice to the play. Sara Khan, a fourth grade teacher who directed the play, said choreographing and coordinating the dance sequence involving over a hundred students was a challenge, but after watching the final performance, she felt that her hard work had paid off.
With fourth grader Abdur Rehman playing the pied piper dressed in tights and ankle-high boots, while donning a cape and a flute, he successfully managed to lead the performance in a subtle and confident manner. At one point, Rehman swayed his followers off the stage and swirled through the audience, adding more flavour to the act.
“I was very nervous at first, but as I heard the audience applaud the dance, I got my feedback,” said Urdu teacher Fauzia Safdar.
The second performance featured famous Urdu poems. While narrating the verses, students dressed up as different professionals and delivered wonderful renditions of “Lab pay aatee hai dua” and “Is parcham keh saye talay”.
“We did not only ask the children to perform tableaus on these poems, but rather, also taught them about the significance of the lyrics,” said Amna Raja, an Urdu teacher who was also the director of this sequence. “These poems narrate a message of respect for different professions and regions, unity and harmony in Pakistan. This is the message we want to teach our children in today’s times,” said Raja.
Fifth graders Aleen Zubair and Shahmir Khan sang the latest pop songs during intervals between acts.
The final performance was an adaptation of the American novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, and was exceptionally well-done. Tooba Javed as the Wicked Witch of the West, Erra as Dorothy, Najamul Hasan as the Tin Man and Danish Atif as Scarecrow managed to woo the audience with the performance. However, the life in these performances was infused by art teacher Noor Zubair, who managed to design the magnificent costumes worn by students. The creative backdrop was designed while keeping the act in mind, and the makeup added the final touches to the elaborate get ups. Zubair’s use of colour, technique, props and materials used for costumes made the performances worth the praise.
The participating children were spotted getting pats on the back from friends and family. Smiling for the camera and striking a pose with their peers, many seemed sad that the event was over. “I am happy that the event is over, but I look forward to working in more plays,” said Tooba Javed, the fifth grader who performed as the Wicked Witch.
“I am relieved after the last performance. Thinking back to what has happened from our first meeting until now, seeing it turn into a success, I know that our hard work paid off,” said headmistress Muqadasa Usman as the event concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2014.