KARACHI: In terms of theatrical performances so far put up at the ongoing World Culture Festival at the Arts Council, two plays, The Invoice and Don’t Shoot, stood out on Thursday evening for their thought-provoking storylines and well-managed production quality. Despite being drastically different in their technical approach to theatre production, they were equally appreciated by the audience.

The Invoice, a 25-minute piece from a Ugandan theatre group Wava, is about creative freedom and the curbs that the powers that be put on it. Directed by Philip Luswata, the play, marked by a humorous exchange of lines between a man called Scott and the protagonist trying to produce a drama on stage, uses the reference to ‘invoices’ that artists need to write to keep the ball rolling for the play they’re trying to produce.

The humour does not take long to turn into sarcasm, albeit benign, aimed at colonial and post-colonial (with the former’s remnants) impact on the lives that people lead even today, especially in Africa. The music and songs sung by three actresses added richly to the whole idea of The Invoice.

Don’t Shoot, a production of South Africa’s Inkaba Creative House, which followed the Ugandan presentation, is a powerful play focusing on the lives of four men who try to run away from a ruthless detention camp.

Thoughtfully written and directed by Busisiwe Mazibuko, a South African theatre practitioner, the drama combines meaningful lines, synchronised movements, brilliant acting and apt use of music to make a poignant tale seem like a readily identifiable timeless story.

For example, the two or three sequences where the men try to escape from the camp, grunge band Nirvana’s iconic song Smells Like Teen Spirit can be heard in the background to give the movement the kind of urgency that’s required for such a serious and fraught-with-danger attempt. It was perfect. At the end of it all, though, Don’t Shoot is a purely humane effort at highlighting human frailty in the face of a gruelling test. Trust becomes an issue. Love raises questions. Camaraderie seems a security seeking act.

Great stuff!

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2025