Fired by his love for the performing arts, Kristo Sagor, a young German playwright and director, has achieved a lot in his field in a short period of time, focusing mostly on plays for the youth. He has created a niche for himself by applying new techniques, bagging a lot of awards in the process. Visiting Karachi to conduct workshops on direction and writing, we took the opportunity to interview the director.
Q. Are you here in the capacity of a writer or director?KS: I was invited by Goethe Institut to conduct workshops and do a bit of direction. The main thing was to meet people in the performing arts and have an exchange of ideas. There have been receptions and workshops at KMC, Napa and Arts Council where we discussed lots of points. During this time I viewed Faisal Malik’s play giving him a few tips here and there.
Q. How do you find the theatre scene here?KS: I have seen only one play here but the theatre situation is very different from the one in Germany. Theatre plays a major role there and even small towns have theatre groups with actors, orchestra and dancers on permanent basis as the government allocates money for the arts. Here you depend on sponsors and lack facilities. You have to have personal contacts as the government is not involved.
Q. What kind of plays do you specialise in?KS: I have written many plays for the youth. They can be divided into three groups: for children, youth and grown ups, and all are different. Youth plays deal with sexuality, role in society and growing up. The focus changes for grown ups but the needs, the hunger for happiness is similar with both. For children it is a learning phase and the style is different totally. It’s very difficult to write for children because you have to think the way they do and connect with them. They, too, think about death because they see elders dying and think about wars as they see it on the screen, but you have to tackle it in a different way, it’s a very specialised field. I am more comfortable with the 13-17 age bracket. A writer has to be sensitive to write about the feelings of others.
Q. You wrote some very popular plays. Received any awards too?KS: Without Simone, G16 and Truffle Pigs were plays for the youth. I had a small cast, two or three actors for these plays and enjoyed them thoroughly. I usually put my heart and soul in my work. One of the awards which is equivalent to the Oscar in Germany I received as a children’s and youth director, was for play G16 which was adapted from a novel and directed by me. It is about a girl with a Turkish background and a German boy who is harassed by her and another girl. The play was a roaring success because it was presented in a big city, at a prestigious theatre and the people involved were all professionals. So all this counts as well. It is collective work which brings out the best.
Q. If you were to choose between writing and directing which would you prefer?KS: I love to do both because their requirements are different and both give me a lot of energy. Writing means total concentration, closing the windows being in isolation, to be able to do justice to it. Whereas direction means being in communication with others, discussing ideas and exchanging views, and I need these extreme poles of energies. When I was young I was writing poetry and songs, but growing older I chose playwrighting because I love dialogue, the fantasy that goes with it, voices talking to me and I to them.
Being a director helps me to put my thoughts in the play as a writer in the proper perspective. The director’s role in Germany is very important and discussing the play with the writer helps in the production tremendously. Some of the plays that I have written have not been done justice to by the director because he failed to understand the requirements of the characters. The director has to trust the construction of characters done scientifically by the writer. This is the richness of the theatre process.
Q. Why is theatre important?KS: An actor in a play incorporates the character and presents the views which we can’t say openly. Characters can say with feelings what humans can’t. The audience loves to see people eat on stage as it is real, just as they love to see children and animals because they are naïve and hence more real. It is the duty of the director to create moments which appear real and the audience can identify with the feelings known as catharsis. The audience’s reaction to the acting helps the artists’ performance as there is a direct connection between them. Plays in Germany are a serious business. It teaches children the styles and gestures and behaviours and helps them as they grow up. Usually there are discussions after the show with the artists. Music and theatre make a better society.
Q. How do you compare the theatre scene of Germany with that in Pakistan?KS: I have just seen one play, Heer Ranjha, here, and I saw some similarities with our plays, the combination of music, the synchronising of two scenes at the same time, modern technical use of devices, traditional music and dance. Aesthetic patchwork was very nice because I understood the concept of patchworking which we use in Germany as well. But I was taken aback by the three TV cameras during the performance which tends to distract. The audience continued to watch as if there was no hindrance. It reminded me of theatre in China, where people bring their families and food while watching the play. It’s not disrespectful as it is part of the culture and the discipline here is different from the West.
Q. Did you collaborate in the play A Real Success by Faisal Malik of Thespianz Theatre?KS: I gave a few pointers here and there. The scenes were translated to me so I was able to understand it, and Faisal incorporated the changes needed. The story was good, about a poor boy who is helped in his studies by a philanthropist but I felt it had conflict and happiness only. I would have preferred a bit of colour in it and observations about the city, a rich and flavoury atmosphere and then brought out the conflict and frustration. One has to involve the fantasy of the audience for good results. Next time I am here I would like to stay for a longer period to learn and share views with theatre groups.