KARACHI: Keeping its campaign for the revival of cultural heritage, social programs and traditional folk art fully alive and affective; Thespianz Theater has been organising string puppet performances at different places in the country for the last three years. Their latest venture was presented at Pak-American Cultural Centre (PACC) Auditorium on September 20.

The show was a vibrant, fascinating and informative demonstration of this ancient art. Thespianz Theater, under the supervision of its director Mr Faisal Malik, is making efforts to familiarise the younger generation with this moving art that has been neglected for a few decades.

However, according to Faisal Malik and his associate director Nouman Mehmood, this show was particularly designed and developed for an adult audience and so the soundtrack and background voices were designed accordingly. Even so, the production was well-received by the of children that were present at the event.

String puppet performance at PACC – Publicity photo

The event was a joint venture of Thespianz Theater and Pakistan American Cultural Centre to revive old art forms into new modern era. This fresh endeavor introduced the folk stories of “Heer Ranjha” and “Umer Marvi”, depicting the folk culture and tales of Sindh and the Punjab to a packed auditorium and to the young generation in a colourful and musical manner that inspired all.

The selection of background music for the Kath Puli performance left the audience mesmerised, along with the Sufi numbers of Abida Parveen, Shafqat Amanat Ali and folk tunes of Noor Jahan among others.

The costumes and the appearance of the puppets was also praised.

The art of puppetry has always been a great tool for conveying the messages of socio-political awareness and teachings through humour and entertainment to the masses. Talking about puppetry in Pakistan, in recent history, we can refer to the efforts of Rafi Peer Theatre for widely and professionally introducing the modern concept, as well as Mr Farooq Qaisar, whose programs “Akar Bakar” and “Kalian” popularised this art.