LAHORE: Akas Theater staged its play ‘Zindagi Kahaniyan’ on the third day of the week-long Lahore Arts Council theatre festival at the Alhamra Art Center on Sunday.

A good number of people turned up at the cultural venue to enjoy the holiday. Alhamra’s Hall 2 was jam-packed and even stairs were filled with the audience. Earlier, two theatre groups staged their performances -- the Mass Foundation staged ‘Book of Love’ and Salamat Productions ‘Rahay Koie Naghma Gar Salamat’.

Sunday’s play ‘Zindagi Khahniyan’ was an adaptation of short stories by an Indian writer. It was an experimental play having no set. There were mime and dance performances and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the production. The play was reflective of life and issues related to people, their emotions, feelings, the social fabric of society.

Afzaal Nabi, the director who is the moving spirit behind Akas Theater, told Dawn that in the current festival he had broken the shackles of a traditional play and staged an experimental production. He said in theatre, there’s hardly any practice of staging experimental plays. The play had no set -- real or suggestive. On Monday (today), Creator Production will stage the play ‘Ooper Wali Manzil’.

Students of colleges and universities are attending the festival and enjoying parallel theatre productions. That the event is open to all and being advertised on social media are the main reasons for good public response.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2022