Immersive theatre: The metropolis as a miniature

Play engages the senses to enable the audience to experience the city

LAHORE: Lahore as Miniature—a play by MPhil English students of Kinnaird College—was staged on Monday.

The play, presented in collaboration with students from the Arizona State University (ASU), employed folk music, scents, striking ethnic costumes, utensils and garlands to let the audience experience immersive theatre live. The production engaged the senses to enable the audience to dramaturgically experience Lahore in a microcosmic way.

The play commenced with the cast narrating personal experiences of the relationship between cuisine and the city’s culture. Asna Jamil told a section of the audience about how stressed her mother had gotten when she was informed that some guests were coming over to seek the hand of her sister in marriage. She said her mother’s condition was reminiscent to that of hers before taking an exam. Jamil said the food to be served to the guests had become the focus of all attention.

A few steps away, Mehtab Khalid told the audience about her obsession with scents. She said she had once come back from school in tears. “I told my parents that the foul smell pervading her classroom had reduced me to the state,” she said. Khalid said her parents had presented her a bottle of perfume to remedy the problem. She said she had developed a penchant for perfumes since then.

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Another actor told the audience about how revolted she had once felt on discovering that her cousin forgot to turn on the air conditioner in a room full of roses.

Sara Sajjad and Saleha Malik narrated anecdotes to share their experiences with changing weather patterns in the city.

Malik told the audience about various eatables associated with changing seasons. Sobia Nagheen spoke about her experience of music in the Walled City.

On the other end of the stage, some performers narrated folk stories at intervals. The performance concluded with a bhangra performance.

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Taufiq, an actor, said the production made for a fabulous experience. He praised the students for executing the production in a stellar manner. Arslan, a writer, said this was the first time he had had the opportunity to experience immersive theatre.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2015.