Be Poetic!

16^th September, 2015.

Being poetic does not necessarily mean that you break into song and dance, as the popular saying goes, it also means that you give your hundred percent to your arts. Theater is no different than art.

Today was the first day that we got to practice in the theater space where we will get to perform (some days down the line).  Performing when you do it in an informal setting (which will not come in handy other than for rehearsal and practice purposes) is very different from performing in the space which would be sacred ground for your final performance.

Well, today I got to experience that sensation exactly. Though my stage fright and insecurities of performing are still there, I by no means feel threatened at the prospect of even trying to do something like it. Through this experience of theater I have grown as a person. When people used to say that theater is one of those experiences that change you forever, I was always the skeptic because, how can it? In our previous session, Dr. Erika became our personal mentor, guiding my group (the group dealing primarily with smells of Lahore), she instead of choosing a script herself let us vote on it.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer (or a teacher) but, I’ve never had the guts to share something I write since, for me it is extremely personal. However, when I finally managed the courage to go through with the ordeal of reading out my version of Heer Ranjha I kept thinking that no one would like it but, I was somewhat surprised when my group members said that it was a nicely written dialogue between two historians. Ultimately we chose two of the well written versions (as my group members put it, making me feel pleased and satisfied) and discussed them further with Dr. Erika.

She seemed to like the scripts we chose as well. She went as far enough to say that the poem we selected was very concise, exactly what we were looking for, and the dialogue also has that dramaturgy to it which makes it very well written. This comment made my day! Having shown something so personal to me and receiving praise for it not just from my colleagues but also form my instructor made the experience even more special.

The way Dr. Erika conducted our discussions after that point onwards, was much focused. With every decision she made us take, she got us closer and closer to our goal and that is to create good ethnotheater with themes that are an integral part of our culture.

Coming back to my earlier point, ethnotheater is basically like living through an extraordinary experience clothing itself as an ordinary one. That according to Dr. Hughes is our mission. Creating an extraordinary experience with ordinary, every day Lahori smells.