LAHORE, Oct 30: The Lahore Arts Council (LAC) has decided to stop commercial theatre plays both at Alhamra, The Mall, and Alhamra Cultural Complex in three months, Dawn has learnt.

LAC Board of Governors Chairman Attaul Haq Qasmi told Dawn no more commercial theatre activities would be held at LAC halls.

He said the council was bound to allow those commercial plays which had got the halls booked in advance but after three months “vulgar” theatres would cease to exist.

He said he had asked the authorities to prepare a list of professional theatre producers who would stage plays selected by the council.

He said he had also asked officials to look for new script writers.

Officials say the decision to end commercial plays was taken after several complaints about “vulgar” dances and “immoral” dialogues in the commercial plays being staged at Alhamra.

According to a council official, who wished not to be named, every commercial play at Alhamra would include four songs on which dancers would make “erotic” gestures wearing revealing dresses.

Sources said “vulgarity” had become so part and parcel of the plays that ‘Landa Bazaar’, LAC’s own production, had two songs wherein dancers would perform “inappropriate” gestures.

Now, 50 scripts by playwrights such like Bano Qudsia, Kamal Ahmed Rizvi and Athar Shah Khan have been selected to be staged at Alhamra after the commercial theatre is gone, says an official.

The council will also ask professional producers interested in staging plays at Alhamra to choose out of the 50 scripts. The LAC will also consult producers and directors giving them dates for plays to present good quality productions. Earlier, the LAC would give dates to both professional and non-professional producers which badly affected the quality of commercial drama.

Information and Culture Secretary Oriya Maqbool Jan told Dawn that vulgar dances and indecent conversation would be discouraged in the plays being staged at Alhamra. Jan said he had asked the council to hold a theatre festival inviting different theatre groups, colleges and universities.