Staged Action_ Young Pakistanis Embrace Theatre _ Newsline

8/22/2016 Staged Action: Young Pakistanis Embrace Theatre | Newsline
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DECEMBER ISSUE 2011
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Staged Action: Young
Pakistanis Embrace
Theatre
By Hajra Komal Feroz (http://newslinemagazine.com/contributor/hajra-komal-feroz/) | Arts &
Culture (http://newslinemagazine.com/cats/arts-culture/) | Published 5 years ago
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In the midst of violence, civil war and CIA-ISI tiffs, young Pakistanis are leading a
significant resurgence in theatre. Staging performances that make you laugh, get
goosebumps, tear up and even question the norms of Pakistani life, these groups
mark a new beginning in the industry.
Cogito Productions is at the forefront of such developments. Founded by Shehzad
Shaikh in 2009 and run entirely by students, it aims to present thought-provoking
ideas through the performing arts. It believes in promoting original theatre
(http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2011/11/theatre-review-karachi/) instead of
presenting adaptations of popular musicals and plays.
“When I went to LUMS (Lahore University of Management Sciences), I realised
that Lahore has a much more vibrant theatre culture than Karachi,” says Shehzad.
Seeking the magic ingredient, Shehzad stumbled upon a key inspiration: Ajoka
theatre (http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2010/08/the-untold-story-2/).
“Where other groups perform adaptations, Ajoka raises the bar by presenting
original scripts and addressing local issues.”
In keeping with this tradition, Cogito’s philosophy has more to do with
improvisation than script-based acting.
In January 2010, Cogito presented Yeh Bhi Ek Kahani Hai, their breakout play.
Unafraid to be honest, it involved a married couple who visits Swat on vacation and
encounters extremists who brutally torture the wife. Techniques such as miming
and shadow lighting were employed to drive their point home. “We like to push the
boundaries,” says Shehzad.
For all their cutting-edge artsiness, the group still has a strong conscience. They
staged Aise Kiya to Sab Agaye – a hilarious play about a prince and princess at
college – at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in August 2010 to raise
funds for the flood victims.
Just two months later, Cogito organised the Cogito Youth Performing Arts Festival
at the Arts Council, to create awareness and raise funds for the legal aid NGO,
Madadgaar.

02Theatre12-11 Cogito has also made sharing their strategies a priority. The
production company held workshops conducted by
professional actors from the National College of Arts (NCA) at the Arts Council in
the summer of 2010. And in June and July 2011, Cogito held performances entitled
the First, Second, Third and Fourth Act at The Second Floor (T2F) in Karachi. The
idea behind this was to provide a platform to fledgling actors and to create an
environment conducive to learning and performing. “Performing without the
support of a heavy production team or a set and having the chance to [connect]
directly with the audience on pertinent social issues like women’s rights is a
humbling experience. For example, I wrote Khalla after reading about how mental
disorders are diagnosed as madness in Pakistan and people suffering from them
are shunned by society,” says Shehzad. He is currently trying to contact various
NGOs to help perform plays that touch upon social issues such as women’s rights
and mental illnesses from their platform.
On July 30, Cogito held One Night Stand at the PACC. Featuring back-to-back
performances by the members of the group and three stand-up comedy acts, it was
a clear success. Even the not-so-comedic play Seven left the audience in a state of
awe as Cogito masterfully depicted the seven sins. The play that stood out was
Zanana Banana, in which Cogito created a woman’s world. For instance, one scene
involves a man leaving his house to get water from the well and encountering a
truck-wali who teases him. He responds with: “Ghar mein bhai baap nahi hain
kya?” A few minutes later his mother comes and begins to scold him, “Ghar ki
aurtein mur gayee hain jo tum akele chaley aye?” Later, she takes him to the
panchayat where the ruling is in favour of the woman.
“When you write a play, you don’t just write it, you write it with a purpose, keeping
in mind what will register with the people, what they will take out of it. So even if
we are doing a funny play, we want to make people think. [We do so with] a strong
medium: theatre. If we don’t think now, when will we?” implores Shehzad.
Another notable group is Firefly Theatre. Originally from Larkana, its founder
Zuhaib Shaikh moved to Karachi in 2002 and founded Firefly Theatre in 2009.
“What inspired me was the very medium of drama. I was initially fascinated by the
big screen. The first time I went into a cinema hall and saw people crying with the
actors and laughing with them, was when I understood how powerful a medium
acting is.” (http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2011/07/interview-manzar-

sehbai/)
Firefly, too, tackles difficult, oft-ignored issues, albeit often in a light-hearted way.
It has performed plays like All in the Family (a comedy about a dysfunctional
family that reunites, rediscovers and mends broken ties), Thora Pyaar Thora
Murder (a comedy about five college friends who are in search of a killer who
murders one of them), and a local twist on the popular US and UK Television
Series, The Office. And, going beyond the stage, Firefly has also started an
innovative professional drama-based training programme. Instead of honing
communication skills by showing slides with bullet points on them, they simply act
out different everyday scenarios. According to Zuhaib, drama’s application in
everyday life heals people and provides them refuge from troubled times.
A group that has successfully managed to do precisely this is Aisa Karogay Tau
Kaun Ayega. Their first show, a biting improvised satire at the PACC was
unprecedented in Pakistan – and it was all unscripted! Azfar Ali, the founder of the
troupe, now lauded as Pakistan’s first Urdu improvisational comedy group, says
that this idea stemmed from his fascination with improvisation done by comedians
on an American TV show, Whose Line is it Anyway?
A team of six people were chosen for Azfar’s troupe after intense auditions which
lasted for one month. After their 15-minute act at the PACC, they performed 30
times over a period of one-and-a half years.
The act was initially designed for television and stage was merely the practicing
ground. Azfar was looking for a reputable sponsor and when Lipton approached
him, he sealed the deal for television. The troupe now performs on a show called
Light On Hai, which is telecast on PTV Home, Ary Digital and Play TV. Azfar is
confident about his future success: “I’ve always done new things…because I’m not
afraid of failure.”
However, although student-run groups are on the rise, performance legend
Sheema Kermani (http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2011/07/sheema-kermani-
reminisces-folk-theatre-has-been-destroyed/) points out that scores of troupes
have started out with a bang and then closed shop because “there is a lack of state
support and performance spaces. And, most importantly, groups need an NOC (No
Objection Certificate) for all public performances.” This, Sheema explains, leads to

Next (http://newslinemagazine.com/magazine/porsche-designed-blackberry-p9981-is-this-what-rim-needs-to-survive/)
ticket prices often reaching exorbitant amounts, in the thousands per head. “How
many people can buy tickets for Rs 1,000 to go and see a play? Consider a family of
five – how many can spend Rs 5,000 in one evening?”
But today’s theatre groups seem aware of such hurdles. Unlike their predecessors,
they seek private sponsors instead of looking for elusive state support. This, in
addition to their often-spare minimalist ideas about sets, enables them to price
tickets reasonably.
Groups like Cogito Productions, Firefly Theatre, and Aisa Karogay Tau Kaun
Ayega are coming up with fresh concepts and plays relevant to the contemporary
realities. We may be a country at war, but the flourishing creative arts symbolise
hope for a brighter Pakistan.
This article originally appeared in the December 2011 issue of Newsline under the headline “Staged
Action”
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