From Protests to Entertainments, From Streets to Prosceniums: A Critical Study of Political Theatre in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

This thesis aims to study the changing creative practices of the political theatre movement in the Punjab region of Pakistan over a period of almost four decades. It begins with defining the term ‘political theatre’ for this thesis for the necessary analysis of the movement. To measure the changes and shifts over the time, it initially examines the socio-political factors that were the foundation of this movement in the 1980s, and maps out the features such as themes, productions, political positioning and affiliations etc. Theatre companies Ajoka (1984) and Punjab Lok Rahs (1986) are the pioneer groups in the Punjab at this time. The 1990s then saw a boom of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in Pakistan. These not-for-profit organizations worked to eradicate social ‘problems’ within the society with the financial support of foreign development agencies. After the death of General Zia (1988), the political theatre groups of the 1980s started working as NGOs on donor-funded projects. This thesis argues that this new turn has changed the practices of the theatre companies in terms of their themes, working methods (both managerial and creative), organizational structures, aesthetical choices, audiences, venues, and above all has shifted their political direction and commitment. This project aims to study those factors and processes, as well as to articulate how and why their political focus and working practices have changed due to the neo-liberal enterprise of the NGOs. Two more recent theatre groups, Sangat (1999) and Azad Theatre (2011), will also be included in this research. Sangat is unique amongst the others as it does not work as an NGO, whilst Azad Theatre is founded on the model of NGO theatre, so these two examples will add to the overall picture of current political theatre in Pakistan. The overall aim is to understand the contemporary political theatre movement in the Punjab within its political and historical context over the last four decades. This is an original contribution to the field as no previous study has attempted to cover this topic over the time period outlined, and also due to my own working involvement with the theatre companies (as an actor, director, employee, and volunteer member), offering the opportunity to study their working practices inside the rehearsal room, which has similarly not been undertaken before.