The fabled Lawrence Hall of the Old Gymkhana, now the Quaid-i-Azam Library, was filled with the air of history and a jam-packed audience on Wednesday evening as Ajoka's new play had its staged reading.
It was a "Lawrence hat-trick" as the play titled "Lawrence in Lahore" was presented in the Lawrence Hall, located in the famous Lawrence Gardens. Written by the leading Pakistani playwright Shahid Nadeem, with US-based Professor Fawzia Afzal Khan, the play was labeled as a "decolonial spy thriller" and based on the little-known presence of the legendary British spy T.E. Lawrence (also known as Lawrence of Arabia) in present-day Pakistan.
It begins with the post-World War I dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire into a number of Arab states and Western Allies' victory celebrations at Versailles. The story then moves to the RAF base at Drigh Road, Karachi, where Lawrence is known to have been posted.
The ambit of the play includes the mullahs-led movement against the secular Afghan king Amanullah, the conversion of the Kashmiri freedom struggle on communal grounds, and the Western policy of dividing new Arab states and paving the way for the creation of Israel.
The turbulent period of political struggle in India is spiced up with the short-lived romance between Lawrence and Akbar Jahan, daughter of the owner of Nedou's Hotel. The presentation was a hybrid between a reading and a performance, with sporadic use of period music and historical footage.
The event was a collaboration between Ajoka Theatre and the Safdar Mir English Literary Club of Government College University and the International Centre for Pakistani Writers in English of Kinnaird College University.
The actors included Dr. Sameer Ahmad, Yusra Irfan, Dara Hashmi, Sameer Afzal, Ehssn Kareem, Sohaib Nasir, Fatima Abbas, Uswa Amjad, Hassan Atif, Jazib, Ahmad Tajy, Hammad, Hassan, and Waqas.
While introducing the play, Professor Fawzia spoke about her collaboration with Shahid Nadeem and the political context of the play. Shahid Nadeem said the play already received international attention and has had dramatic readings at New York University Abu Dhabi and Montclair University, New Jersey. He also thanked the Quaid-i-Azam Library for its support for the event. He also announced that Ajoka is having a 5-day festival at Alhamra to mark its 40th anniversary from May 2-6.
Among the audience were noted scholars, faculty members, students, including Mr. Kamran Lashari, Dr. Rukhsana David, VC Kinnairds College, Arts Council Chairman Razi Ahmad, Professor Shaista Siraj, senior artist and educationist Naveed Shehzad, Secretary Women's Development Sumaira Samad, DG Quaid-i-Azam Library Mr. Kashif Manzoor, TV anchor and actor Noor ul Hassan, and Ajoka Institute director Nirvaan Nadeem.
