In 2009, director Junaid Malik of Empty Space Theatre, during the Islamabad production of Martin McDonagh’s The Pillowman, decided to eschew the traditional proscenium stage in favour of an empty space above a bowling alley. As an actor, I was concerned because we remain patrons of the proscenium: We associate grandeur and prestige with our familiar theatre spaces. I, however, realised that for a production such as The Pillowman, the proscenium would have never worked. An intense dark comedy with five performers and a small set featuring the interior of a prison cell, what clicked for the audiences was simply this — intimacy.

In 2012, during our performance of The Taming of The Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, I realised how challenging it was to forget the staple ‘never break the fourth wall / Never show your back to the audience’ rules we are taught in routine theatrical performances. Playing at an almost theatre-in-the-round setting was liberating; it allowed for more complex stage direction and blocking.

A year later, during my visit to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, I saw theatrical productions staged in classrooms, black box studios and other purpose-built venues including makeshift thrust stages and improvised spaces, both outdoors and indoors.

What was interesting to note was that the prices (except for the more popular West End adaptations) were almost the same, whether it was an intimate twenty-people floor seating, interactive one-on-one performances from across the globe via Skype in front of a computer, the vaudeville where performers were seen traversing through the audience or a brilliant mix of cabaret-style seating and a thrust stage.

BTS during rehearsals of 'Taming of The Shrew'. — Photo Courtesy: Osman Khalid Butt's Facebook Page

Upon my return, I conceived a stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Snow, Glass, Apples: a retelling of Snow White from the perspective of the stepmother. As a one-hour event, I knew, staging it at the popular Islamabad Club stage or the Pakistan National Council of Arts would be a misstep — financially it would have been unfeasible.

A theatre performance of 'Grease' in Karachi. — Photo Courtesy: BBC

More importantly, the genre (horror) and fairytale woodland setting lent itself to a more organic environment. I staged it at Kuch Khaas’ outdoor mini amphitheatre (I use that term loosely); the staging featured a ramp that extended through the audience – who were seated on the floor – with action taking place on the ramp and the two opposite ends of the stage. We had no ‘blind spots’, so I encouraged the actors to maintain character and even use the audience to make their entrances and exits.

We had Victorian costumes and no set — a solitary (lit-up) tree, with props hanging from it, provided a suitably ethereal backdrop. This performance style worked without impacting the quality of the production.

A modern dance by German troupe EKSOD uses dark lights and laser projections to delve deep into the human psyche at the NAPA International Theatre Festival 2014. – Arif Mahmood/White Star

We were encouraged by the success of this model and in early 2014, in collaboration with the Insolent Knights (an Islamabad-based theatre troupe), we performed an ode to Broadway musicals, Bright Lights, Big City. Though acoustics were an issue there – we had to rely on collar mikes for the musical pieces which were more hazardous than helpful – we managed to pull off something traditionally suited to a proscenium setting in an outdoor environment.

And that has got me thinking: With a general dearth of solid sponsorships, traditional venues being booked months in advance, factoring in general government apathy to the arts, we need to look into alternate venues and spaces for commercial performances.

Artists perform the play 'Waiting for Godot.' — Photo Courtesy: Dawn

The Fringe Festival model makes me think that, perhaps, we need to have our own nationwide/international festival with both traditional and makeshift stages: The Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore, with its varied indoor spaces and gardens could be a possible venue. We need to change the perception that alternate spaces are only for niche, one-off productions.

Once content becomes the king and we explore genres like drama, thriller/horror, black comedy, mime and vaudeville more frequently – when diversity becomes the norm and not the niche – I feel theatre will not be solely dependent on lavish sets, costumes and, as Lahore-based theatre director Shah Sharahbeel so aptly put it, “shashka” to sustain itself.

Theatre artists performing on Shah Sharahbeel's 'Moulin Rouge'. — Photo Courtesy: Dawn

Of course, I realise all this is easier said than done, but take the example of the International 14/48 Theater Festival: 14 plays in 48 hours, held in Islamabad, back in 2008. It showed what aspiring theatre actors, scriptwriters and directors could do with a limited time frame and budget (it is called The World’s Quickest Theatre Festival for a reason). We had madcap 20-minute productions with a host of genres, once again performed in an improvised proscenium setting in a garden.

It is certainly a stepping stone and there are risks aplenty, but then, theatre demands experimentation. And it is about time that we dabbled in such experiments.

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